THE STORY 

OF A 

FOOTBALL 
SEASON 








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THE STORY 
OF A FOOTBALL SEASON 



The Story 

of a 

Football Season 



BY 

GEORGE H. BROOKE 

COACH, SWARTHMORE COLLEGE 
ADVISORY COACH, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA 



ILLUSTRATED 




PHILADELPHIA fcf LONDON 

J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY 

1907 



'** <* CONGRESS 
Jm CoiHei Received 

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Copyright, 1907 
by J. B. Lippikcott Company 



Published, August, 1907. 



Efcctrotyped and printedttjyj. n. Uppincoti Company 
The WathingUm 8700110 Press, Philadelphia, U. S. A, 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

A Forward Pass Frontispiece 

An On-Side Kick 76 

A Punt from Behind Goal 158 v 

Carrying Back a Punt 174 



Diagram 


I. 


Diagram 


II. 


Diagram 


III. 


Diagram 


IV. 


Diagram 


V. 


Diagram 


VI. 


Diagram 


VII. 


Diagram 


VIII. 


Diagram 


IX. 


Diagram 


X. 


Diagram 


XI. 


Diagram 


XII. 


Diagram 


XIII. 


Diagram 


XIV. 


Diagram 


XV. 


Diagram 


XVI. 


Diagram XVII. 



Positions on Simple Attack and 

Defence 18 

A * Bunch ' Forward Pass 31 

A 'Single' Forward Pass 32 

Quarter-Back Kick 34 

Defence for Punt 49 

'Bunch' Forward Pass near 

Goal 51 

An On-Side Kick 53 

Fake Kick through Line 55 

'Skiddoo' Forward Pass 62 

Zones of Attack 69 

The Kick-Off 95 

Defence f or ' Right Formation' 128 

Defence for ' Left Formation' . . 130 

Defence for ' End-Over Left' ... 132 

Defence for ' Tackle-Over Left' 134 

Defence for 'Big Shift Left' ... 136 

'Skiddoo' On-Side Kick 154 

v 



The Story of a Football 
Season 



CHAPTER I. 

" Well,, young fellow, you have a great 
chance this year. We need a good quarter 
back around here," spoke Buck Owens, the 
coach, to Kid Cross, the freshman. 

It was a warm day in September, and a 
couple of weeks before college opened. The 
squad had been summoned back for pre- 
liminary work, in preparation for the hard 
season ahead. Some thirty or forty candi- 
dates, clad in light running suits and foot- 
ball shoes, were out on Cooper Field, 
scattered around, kicking and passing sev- 
eral footballs, making a lively scene. 



THE STORY OF A 

Frank Cross, the big centre rush, a vet- 
eran of three years' standing, had just 
brought up his younger brother, and intro- 
duced him to the coach. The two brothers 
were an odd contrast ; the older was a great 
serious-looking chap, splendidly and com- 
pactly built, as big and square and dark, 
as the younger was small and wiry and 
blond. 

" I hope you can make something out of 
the Kid," said the big fellow, winking. 
' You might do it, Mr. Coach, if you beat 
him around enough." 

"Get out there, and let 's see if you can 
catch a football," suddenly said Coach 
Owens, turning to young Cross. " That 's 
what you'll have to do, so you might as 
well start in right away." 

"By George," he continued, as the 
brothers walked away, addressing Nick 
O'Connor, the little trainer, and Jimmie 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

Gibson, the tall captain, who stood beside 
him, " I hope that boy does make good ; we 
need a quarter back in the worst way. 
Take a ball, Jimmie, and kick him a spiral 
or two, and let 's see what the Kid can do." 

At that instant the group was joined by 
Jim Mowbray, the famous ex-tackle, who 
had never been known to miss the first day 
of the season, and, winning or losing, was 
always on hand with the same enthusi- 
asm. He shook hands with the coach, 
and gleefully slapped Nick O'Connor 
on the back. 

'Well, what do you experts think of 
'em? Is the new material any good?" 
cried Mowbray, speaking to both at once. 

"They look like winners to me, this 
year, Jim," cheerfully answered Nick 
O'Connor. "We've only got four of the 
regulars back, but there are some good 
subs left over, and there are a likely look- 



THE STORY OF A 

ing lot of colts in the new bunch. Of 
course I 'm too old-fashioned to care much 
about that crazy forward pass, and I have 
alwaj^s stood for the big brawny kind of 
football players, — regular bruisers, you 
know; but I guess maybe I can get some 
speed out of this bunch. That is what we 
need. We Ve got to lick Sussex anyhow," 
and the little trainer winked at the big 
ex-tackle, who laughed approvingly. 

'Well, what do you think of them, 
Buck?" asked Mowbray, turning to the 
serious- faced coach. 

"Jim," replied Buck Owens, soberly, 
" we Ve only got a few veterans back, and 
you know what these new rules are. It 's 
no cinch to break in a lot of greenhorns, 
and that is one reason why we issued a call 
for candidates to come back early for this 
preliminary work. ' Silent ' Gibson, out 

there, saj^s we are going to have the great- 

10 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

est team in the country. I like to see the 
captain enthusiastic." 

" Well, coach," said Jim Mowbray, nod- 
ding his head fiercely, " if the stuff is in 
'em we '11 get it out of 'em, all right." 

Down at one end of the field, Captain 
Gibson was punting high spirals to Kid 
Cross and little Rudge, substitute quarter 
back of the year before. All of the vet- 
erans had stopped to watch them. The 
loss of Stevie, the brilliant quarter back of 
the last season, had been a severe one, and 
no one knew better than the veterans what 
it would mean to have someone who could 
take his place. Young Rudge, at quarter, 
had never shown the brilliancy that would 
lead a team to victory. The fame of 
young Cross as a schoolboy player had 
preceded him, and as he gathered in Gib- 
son's long punts, and handled himself with 

the confidence and smartness that prom- 

11 



THE STORY OF A 

ised well, Buck Owens, the coach, was 
already in his imagination picturing him 
as the brilliant field leader, who would 
drive his team to victory. 

As it was the first day, and very warm 
at that, the coach soon sent the squad in, 
with the exception of a few big men, whom 
the trainer kept out longer, in order to 
work oif their surplus fat. 

"Well, Buck," said Jim Mowbray to 
the coach, as they strolled off the field 
together, and down toward the training 
house, "you've got your chess board and 
your chess men. What moves are you 
going to make? It is up to you, old man, 
and don't forget that we are all back of 
you." 

" I know all that, Jim, and I will call 

on you for assistance very soon. By the 

way, stay out and take dinner with us 

to-night at the training house. I 'm going 
12 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

to give the fellows a blackboard talk on 
the new rules." 

Kent College was a well known institu- 
tion, which gathered students from all 
parts of the country, and had always been 
celebrated for its football teams. Situated 
on a high hill in the country, its magnifi- 
cent campus gave ample room and space 
for the great buildings that stood in a 
half moon around the brow of the hill. 
Cooper Field, a splendid athletic enclo- 
sure, was situated in the rear of the college 
buildings ; and on an eminence to the left, 
as you approached the field from the col- 
lege, stood the trim little training house, 
where the Varsity squad lived during the 
football season. 

When Coach Owens and his party 
arrived at the training house, the players 
were in the basement getting their baths 
and rubs-down. Nick O'Connor was in 

13 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

his element here, and busily ordering and 
arranging. The coach and Jim Mowbraj^ 
stood curiously regarding and discussing 
the physical proportions of the various 
candidates, as they approached in white- 
limbed array the scales where the trainer 
was weighing them in. Kid Cross tipped 
the balance at 142, and right behind the 
Kid towered a raw-boned giant. When 
he stepped on the scales, they flew up with 
a bang, and the figures were set at 222. 

"Holy smokes, who's that?" ejacu- 
lated Crawford. 

" That 's the big countryman from up 
State," said the coach. " Gibson saw him 
down here the other day taking his exami- 
nations for the law school, and persuaded 
him to come out and try for the team. His 
name is Lawson. I don't believe he 's ever 
played any football, but he looks like the 
goods." 

14 



CHAPTER II. 

The coach stood at the blackboard in the 
football class-room of the training house, 
with a piece of chalk in his hand. He was 
on a raised platform, and down below sat 
the candidates for the football team. Buck 
Owens was the square- jawed type of foot- 
ball man who is so common in our Ameri- 
can colleges, and in his day he had been a 
famous dodging and kicking half back. 
While his jaw gave evidence of his deter- 
mination, his blue eyes were full of the 
enthusiasm and life which is an attribute 
of the leader. As for Nick O'Connor, the 
trainer, a prominent alumnus had once 
said, at an annual dinner, that Kent was 
going to keep Nick until he died, and that 
when he passed away into the happy hunt- 
ing grounds of football trainers, they 

15 



THE STORY OF A 

were going to hang his mummy in the 
trophy room. 

"Well, boys," began the coach, "here 
we are at the beginning of another foot- 
ball season. You are playing for the 
honor of a great college. I am going to 
do everything that I can to teach you the 
game, and I will have other men to help 
me ; but I want to tell you right now, that 
it is up to you fellows first of all, and that 
you must go into everything with your 
whole heart and soul. I never yet have 
seen a football star that was made bjr any 
coach. He made himself ; he took respon- 
sibility and originality upon himself, and 
he thought it out for himself. The new 
rules have made head work on the part of 
individuals, and on the part of the man 
who gives the signals, more important 
than ever before in the history of football. 
We will have a lot more talks before the 

16 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

season is over. I am only going to tell 
you to-night something about the general 
theory of the game under the new rules, 
so that you will realize the tremendous 
importance of the preliminary work which 
is now occupying our attention on the 
field, and will do so for the next few 
weeks. 

" The positions of the players on attack 
are restricted by the rules. There is no 
restriction at all where the defending 
players shall stand, and they can be placed 
in the best positions to resist the expected 
attack. 

"The attacking side must have at least 
six men on the line of scrimmage ; if one of 
the five centre men is taken out of the line, 
he must be set back of the line five yards. 
If one of the end men is brought back, 
then he, or one of the backs, must stand 
outside of either end of the line. The four 

3 17 



THE STORY OF A 



back field men can be placed in any posi- 
tion at all. 

" Diagram 1, which I have drawn here 

(5) DEFENCE 



DIAGRAM 1. 



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© 

JX(U«)-***ps(lt)^- - : -.5jyo». {ft ) 






© ® 



ATTACK 

POSITIONS ON SIMPLE ATTACK AND DEFENCE. 

on the board, illustrates the position of 
two teams on what is called simple attack 
and simple defence. The attacking side, 

18 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

you will notice, is more concentrated than 
the defending side. The quarter back on 
attack, who gives the signals, has at his 
command a number of plays, all of which 
the defence must be prepared to meet in 
its general formation, for of course the 
defence does not know what play is going 
to be used against it. The signal giver 
can smash his tandem straight into the 
centre of the defence, or he may send a 
flying play around the end, or he may call 
for a forward pass outside of tackle, or he 
may send a punt into any part of the 
defending team's territory. As I have 
said, an evenly balanced defence must pro- 
vide for all these possibilities. 

"With this simple explanation of the 
general theory of football under the new 
rules, I must impress upon you further 
the idea of the bigness of the task before 
us, in developing ourselves into a well 

19 



THE STORY OF A 

rounded football team. There are so many 
things to practice, that you must go at 
your daily work with the utmost serious- 
ness and carefulness, and learn thor- 
oughly as you go along. Just think what 
we have before us. Besides the old rudi- 
ments of the game, such as falling on the 
ball, interfering, starting quickly with the 
snap of the ball, tackling, blocking, break- 
ing through the line, kicking, and catch- 
ing, we have to learn to throw and catch a 
football with perfect accuracy from any 
position; and before the season is far 
along, every one of you must know all of 
the thousand and one possibilities under 
the new rules. 

" In regard to learning the new rules, I 
am going to give a quiz on them to-mor- 
row night, and will expect every one to 
know them by that time. I have only one 

thing further to say, and that is to advise 
20 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

every man to attend his classes regularly 
all the time. The faculty are getting 
stricter, and we can't afford to lose any 
men on this account. I now introduce 
Nick O'Connor, who will say something 
to you." 

The little trainer mounted the platform, 
stuck out his jaw in an aggressive way, 
and began to talk. 

:< Well, fellows, I 'm glad we 're all back 
here for another year. We must not lose 
a game this season. You all know what 
it means to beat Sussex. The best trained 
team will be the team that wins. I want 
to say right now, that this football busi- 
ness ain't no boys' play. It's a man's 
game, and you Ve got to get ready for it, 
so as to be able to take your knocks. These 
new rules seem to require more speed and 
wind than the old rules. The first thing I 

want you to do, therefore, is for every 

21 



THE STORY OF A 

mother's son of you to get out of bed at 
half past six every morning, and take a 
run before breakfast. It will be a little 
hard at first, but you get to love it before 
long. You will be awakened every morn- 
ing by a bugle call. From now on, I don't 
w r ant you to eat anything but what you get 
in this training house. As for drinking 
and smoking, it's no use in my saying 
anything about that to a lot of Varsity 
players. They think too much of them- 
selves and their college, and will cut all 
that nonsense out. Every man must be in 
bed by half past ten at night. There is 
one more thing I want to say, and that is 
if any of you fellows have a weak point 
about you, like a bad ankle, an old 
shoulder, or a tendency to weak knee, I 
want you to tell me right now, and we will 
get you something to protect that place 

from the very beginning of the season. 

22 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

Now, don't forget this, for it 's important. 
That's all." 

Then the meeting broke up, and with 
serious faces the footballers all filed out. 

An hour later two figures, one big, and 
one little, could have been discerned out on 
the football field. A bright moon, shin- 
ing down, cast a soft glow over the great 
bare stands, with their tiers upon tiers of 
seats rising high; and the bare white goal 
posts at either end of the field stood spec- 
tre-like in the moonlight. 

The big figure suddenly spoke: " Look 
here, Kid, you 've got a good show for this 
team this year; and if you don't make 
good, I '11 be ashamed of you." 

"Don't you worry, Frank, I am going 
to make this team, or get busted up in try- 
ing, anyhow. I '11 beat that little Rudge 
out, or break his neck on the Scrub. I told 
sister that she would see me playing 

23 



THE STORY OF A 

against Sussex, and she '11 do it, all right. 
Say, who's this coming?" 

"By George! it's that big country- 
man." 

A great, square, shambling figure came 
into view. It was the big fellow from up 
State, Si Lawson, and perhaps the same 
inner motive that had brought the Cross 
brothers out there on the field that night 
had affected Lawson. 

"Hello, Lawson, what are you doing 
out here? Come out to play with the 
ghosts?" cried big Cross. 

" Say, fellows, I kinder like this game 
of football," drawled the big fellow. " I 
used to play a little up in my town, but 
we did n't know much about it." 

"Well, Lawson, j^ou're big enough. 
Can you scrap any? " 

" Oh, yes, a little bit. I wrastled Bill 
Smith, the blacksmith, up where I live, 

24 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

and I threw him. I guess I cleaned up 
pretty much everything in the county. 
Say, do you want to wrastle now?" sud- 
denly asked the big up-countryman, with 
a gleam in his eye measuring the husky 
centre rush. 

" No, I guess not to-night," laughingly 
replied the latter. "You come out to- 
morrow, and I will try to give you some 
pointers about playing guard. I guess 
that'll be enough wrastling to hold you 
for a while." 

" Say, he 's all right," chuckled the Kid, 
as he nudged his big brother in the ribs. 



25 



CHAPTER III. 

The stages in the development of the 
Kent College football team were gradual. 
The first week was spent in learning to 
pass accurately and to handle a football. 
Quick starting was taught by dividing the 
players into squads of three, and having 
them get off at the snap of the ball. A 
squad of drop kickers was organized, and 
also one of place kickers, but most of the 
time was spent in practicing punting, and 
catching punts. While this latter practice 
was going on, the men who did not take 
part in the kicking and catching were sent 
down in relays of four, under the kicks. 
With the second week, the work became 
rougher, and there was falling on the ball, 
tackling the dummy, going down under 
kicks with tackling, blocking the ends, and 

26 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

running through a few of the simple 
signals. 

By the third week the practice each day 
was wound up with a short scrimmage 
against Assistant Coach Joe Wilding's 
Scrub. With real scrimmage work the 
squad soon began to learn something 
about football, and the advance became 
more rapid. More coaches came out to 
help, and they held many councils in the 
evenings, where they discussed tactics and 
plans of play. 

College opened on Friday, about three 
weeks after the squad had come back, and 
that afternoon there was a big bunch of 
rooters on hand to see the team work out 
its last scrimmage before the first game of 
the season, which came on the next day. 
This practice went off fairly well. As 
the game the next day was an easy one, 
the team had not yet been taught many 

27 



THE STORY OF A 

plays. They knew a couple of forward 
passes, the quarter back kick, and a fake 
kick. For the rest they had to depend on 
straight football and punting. Most of 
the squad were to be given a trying out in 
the first game. 

Rumors of a wonderful little quarter 
back, to take the place of Stevie, had been 
going the rounds, and the great mass of 
undergraduate rooters were tremendously 
keen to view the new star in action. They 
had all seen and heard so much the year 
before of the doings of the quarter backs, 
who are the generals of the gridiron, that 
they all realized what a star quarter back 
meant, both for the honor of their col- 
lege and the bigness of their individual 
purses. 

In discussing signals that night at the 
lecture the coach said, "Each play has a 
number. In the odd numbers the ball goes 

28 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

to the right, in the even numbers, to the 
left, except in the cases of fakes, when the 
interference goes one way, and the ball is 
carried another. In these cases the rule is 
reversed; that is, the odd numbers signal 
for the interference to go to the right 
while the ball is carried to the left, and 
vice versa with the even numbers. The 
quarter back calls out a string of numbers, 
and you will be given the key to tell you 
which one of the string is the signal. This 
key will be varied during the season, so 
that a shift from one key to another can 
be made in the midst of a game." 

"There are two kinds of forward 
passes," continued the coach. "In one 
kind the object is to have several of your 
players on the spot where the forward 
pass is expected to fall, depending on 
these several players to outnumber and 
overcome any opponents who happen to 

29 



THE STORY OF A 

be there. The pass is made long and high, 
so as to give a chance for all of your men 
to get there in time both to block the oppo- 
nents and to catch the ball. The rule in 
regard to a forward pass says that if any 
one touches the ball before it hits the 
ground, then it is anybody's ball. There- 
fore if the pass is made long and high, 
someone is sure to touch it before it hits 
the ground, and even though we do not 
recover the ball, yet we have a good gain 
anyhow. 

u Iam going to call this kind of a for- 
ward pass a 'bunch' pass, because the 
object is to have several players in a bunch 
where the ball falls. Diagram 2 illus- 
trates a 'bunch' pass. The whole back 
field starts to the right, the ball being 
snapped straight back to the left half 
back, who, when he gets far enough out 
in order to throw the ball over the rush line 

30 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

five yards from centre, hurls it high and 
far down the field. The right end, quarter 

- DIAGRAM a. 

® > 




ATTACK 



A ' BUNCH ' FORWARD PASS. 



back, and right half back are all supposed 
to be down there to receive it in a bunch. 
Of course this pass can be worked to the 

31 



THE STORY OF A 



left, too. The signals for it are 31 and 
32, 31 to the right, and 32 to the left. 
" The other kind of forward pass we 



® 



DIAGRAM 5. 



&-* 




<§>— * 



S?. 



,fi, ® E3 ® © . 

M 4 '&-—-</>/ 




ATTACK 

A ' SINGLE ' FORWARD PASS. 



@ 



will call the ' single ' forward pass. I call 
it thus because there is only a single player 
down to receive it. The object of the play, 



32 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

as shown in diagram 3, is to fool the other 
team into thinking the play is going to the 
right, and when they run over there to 
intercept it, the left end sneaks out, and 
the ball is thrown to him. This play can 
be worked either to the right or the left, 
and our signals for it are 21 and 22. 
When the fake part of the play is to the 
right, the signal would be 21; and when 
the fake part of the play is to the left, the 
signal would be 22. In the diagram the 
whole back field fakes to the right, and the 
right end starts down the field as though 
he were going to receive a forward pass; 
the left half makes a motion to the right, 
and the ball comes back directly to him 
from centre ; he then turns to the left, and 
going far enough out to pass the ball 
legally — five yards out from centre- 
throws it on to the left end. Don't forget 
that in all these forward passes the only 

3 33 



THE STORY OF A 

men who are eligible to receive them, are 
the two men on the ends of the line, and 
the men who are back of the line. 

" Diagram 4 shows a quarter back kick. 

DIAGRAM 4- 



\ © © <® El (5) <$•* 




<p) ® m ® _JS> 



QUARTER-BACK KICK. 



This play has always been a useful one, 
but it is more effective than ever before 
under the new rules. It used to be that 



34 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

only the men behind the kicker, when the 
ball left his foot, could get the ball, and 
they had to catch it on the fly; but now in 
addition to this it's anybody's ball when it 
hits the ground. In this play, the three 
backs run out parallel to the rush line until 
they hear the ball meet the quarter back's 
foot; then they turn down the field, and 
being on side, have a right to catch the ball 
on the fly, or knock aside any opponent 
who may also be trying to catch the ball. 
The kick should be sent high enough in 
order to give them time to get under it. 
The quarter back, the instant he gets the 
ball from centre, steps back a pace, and 
hitting the ball, with his instep, about 
three feet from the ground, lifts it in the 
air about ten yards, and diagonally, to a 
distance of about twenty-two yards, and 
about eight yards into the opponent's terri- 
tory. The signals for the quarter back 

35 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

kick are 7 and 8, 7 to the right, and 8 to 
the left." 

The schedule for the season was as fol- 
lows, the faculty allowing only seven 
games : 

October 3 — Howard, Cooper Field. 
October 10 — Vanderventer, Cooper Field, 
October 17 — Westlake, Cooper Field. 
October 24 — Harlem, New York. 
October 31 — Marine College, St. Johns. 
November 7 — Prairie University, Cooper Field. 
November 14 — No game. 
November 21 — Sussex, Sussex. 



36 



CHAPTER IV. 

Cooper Field was a bright scene the 
next afternoon, when the Kent eleven, 
headed by the tall captain, trotted out on 
the gridiron for the first game of the 
season. Contrary to predictions of some 
wise-heads, that the interest in football 
would die out under the new rules, it had 
only become all the more keen. The whole 
college town was there, and many had 
driven over from the surrounding country. 
In the Kent players, the spectators saw a 
clean-cut and speedy looking bunch. The 
eleven of the Howard team averaged as 
much in weight, but had not the trim 
racing aspect of their opponents. The 
coaches had decided to start the following 
team: 

Right end : Joe Phillips, veteran. 

37 



THE STORY OF A 

Right tackle: Tomlinson, a sub of the 
year before, conscientious but not brilliant. 

Right guard: Oswell, a tall rangy fel- 
low, last year's sub, and effective under 
the new rules. 

Centre: big Cross, the veteran All- 
America player. 

Left guard : Proctor, a sub of the year 
before, too fat and not very aggressive. 

Left tackle: Fred Deering, veteran, 
190 pounds, and fast. 

Left end : Randolph, a fast flying Vir- 
ginian, dashing and plucky. 

Quarter back: Rudge, substitute of 
year before. Kid Cross was to be put on 
in the second half. 

Left half back : Captain Gibson, a tall, 
speedy player, and a first class punter. 
Played second base on the baseball team, 
and could handle a football, as well as a 
baseball, beautifully. 

38 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

Full back: Harry Butler, a splendid 
line smasher, but not very brilliant other- 
wise ; was so tough that he never got hurt ; 
would go into a stone wall if ordered to 
by the coach. 

Right half back: Jack Longcope, a 
promising freshman from Andover, light 
running and a good dodger. 

After the usual preliminaries, the ref- 
eree blew his whistle, and Captain Gibson 
drove a long place kick clear to the How- 
ard goal. The ball was caught and rushed 
back, and the game was on. Howard 
punted; Rudge caught, and then began 
to batter the opposing team with straight 
football. Kent was able to gain steadily 
and surely, but was stopped after reaching 
the twenty yard line, where Rudge failed 
in a long try for goal from the field. 
Howard punted, and the Kent quarter 
back renewed his battering tactics, and 

39 



THE STORY OF A 

again the ball was carried toward goal. 
Inside the twenty-five yard line, the How- 
ard defence again concentrated and stif- 
fened, and the ball was lost on downs. 

The Howard kicker fell back as if to 
punt, but instead ran over to the right and 
made a long forward pass, which was 
cleverly captured by his end rush for a 
fifteen yard gain. This was first down, 
and the Howard quarter back on the next 
play made a long trick pass to the left end, 
who gathered in forty yards before he 
was laid low by Captain Gibson's flying 
tackle. This astonishing turn of affairs 
brought surprise and dismay to the root- 
ers, and a defiant yell went up when Kent 
held and forced Howard to kick; Gibson 
caught the ball and rushed thirty yards 
back, and there were five minutes left to 
play in the first half. 

Jack Mowbray had been stalking up 

40 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

and down the side lines swearing softly to 
himself. He trotted up to Buck Owens. 

" Look here, Buck," he cried, " this is a 
nice way to start the season. What 's the 
matter?" 

"It's easy enough to see," said the 
coach; "Rudge is not using his brains. 
He thinks he's playing under the old 
rules still." 

The coach walked over to where Kid 
Cross lay curled up in a blanket, and 
touching the boy on the shoulder, said : 

" You '11 get a chance in the second half. 
I am going to start you in. Give some 
variety to your plays." 

Shortly afterwards the whistle blew. 

When the second half began, it was 
seen that there were three changes in the 
line-up. Kid Cross had gone into quarter, 
Lawson at left guard, and Bishop at left 
end in place of Randolph. 

41 



THE STORY OF A 

Howard kicked off; the ball flew 
straight to the new quarter back, who 
stood back on the goal line. He started 
off like a flash, and as straight as an 
arrow, and before any one realized it, the 
little fellow had dashed through for forty 
yards. The ball was punted, and the 
Howard quarter back was downed on his 
ten yard line. Howard was forced to 
punt ; Cross caught, and aided by Captain 
Gibson's beautiful interference, took the 
ball to the thirty yard line. A couple of 
smashes through centre, and then he fell 
back for try at goal from the field. The 
ball sailed prettily over the bar. The score 
was 4 to 0. 

The rooters went wild with excitement, 
and they recognized that a new football 
star had arisen. With clever generalship, 
and the use of the few forward passes at 
his command, Cross managed to drive his 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

team over for another touch-down before 
time was called. It was a great victory 
for the little fellow who had played so 
brilliantly, and one which made his place 
secure on the eleven. That night he was 
the talk of the college. He wrote home 
and told his sister that he had made the 
Varsity; and his big brother warned him 
against the swelled head, a common dis- 
ease among football stars. 



43 



CHAPTER V. 

During the week following the How- 
ard game, the coaches decided to perfect 
defence by devoting a large part of the 
daily practice to resisting attacks of the 
Scrub. Just how the end rushers should 
play on defence was a much mooted ques- 
tion among the coaches, and they held a 
special council one night to decide. 

Some teams play their ends on defence 
close up to their tackles, and the instant 
the ball is snapped by the opposing side 
these ends dart across at the opposing back 
field, hoping to break up the play before it 
gets started, and also to prevent any for- 
ward passing. Other teams play their 
ends from five to ten yards out, and when 
the opponents snap the ball, they cross 
over a little way, but do not come in hard. 

44 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

The best teams compromise by not going 
to either one extreme or the other. It was 
decided by the Kent coaches that their 
ends should not be bound by any hard and 
fast rules of playing, but should be taught 
to use their brains and football instinct in 
deciding when to shoot across hard, and 
when to stay out. In this way the other 
team would not know what they were 
going to do, and would be unable to lay 
their plans as securely. 

Frank Cross raised the question of cen- 
tre rush play one night when Coach 
Owens was lecturing the team. 

''Under the old rules," he said, "even 
when line bucking and short gains were 
more dangerous, several of the star centres 
used to leave their positions and back up 
the line, and often tackle all over the field. 
If they could do it under the old rules, I 
should now certainly be able to play a 

45 



THE STORY OF A 

little back of my line of defence, and do 
more backing up at the ends and tackles." 

"That's all right for a man who has 
clever football instinct," answered Coach 
Owens, " and, Cross, you should have had 
enough experience to be able to do this. 
A man who has football instinct can gen- 
erally size up pretty well what play is 
coming at him. But if the centre rush is 
going to leave his position on defence to 
back up, the guards must be exceptionally 
strong, for they alone will have to take care 
of the centre of the line. If a clever quar- 
ter back on the other side finds the centre 
rush is backing up, he may shoot a fake 
right through the centre. That is, send 
his interference at the end, and have the 
runner go through centre." 

The coach drew diagram 1, which had 
been shown before, on the blackboard. 

"This is the defence," he said, "for 

46 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

simple formation attack. I understand 
that Prairie is using shifted formations of 
attack, so we will take up the defence for 
them a little later. Gibson, who is tall and 
fast, is playing the position of full back 
on defence about fifteen yards back of 
his centre. He is responsible for forward 
passes, on-side kicks, and general defence 
when the play reaches him; but he is not 
supposed to go in to stop line bucks; 
because if he does, he surely would be 
fooled by a trick sooner or later. The 
quarter back plaj^s about thirty-five yards 
back, looking out for kicks; he must be 
continually on the move, watching for 
quick kicks. The half backs play a little 
outside of tackle, and three yards back. 
Their first duty on defence is to stop out- 
side tackle and end runs. In order to do 
this, as soon as the opposing interference 
starts, they must go for it. If they waited, 

47 



THE STORY OF A 

a strong attack would be very apt to go on 
over them for consistent gains. The tack- 
les are taught differently at different 
colleges. Some coaches, in their scheme of 
defence, instruct their tackles always to 
charge forward in a certain way, hard and 
low, and not to allow themselves to be 
boxed in or pushed out too far." 

In Fred Deering, Kent College had a 
splendid tackle; he was 190 pounds, and 
tall and active; he knew how to use his 
hands and arms on defence, and he was 
so strong that he did n't have to get down 
low and charge, as a weaker man would 
have to do, in order not to be pushed back. 
The other tackle, Tomlinson, was shorter, 
and had to depend on his bull-like charg- 
ing to defend his side of the line. The 
half back, who plays behind tackle on 
defence, must know what his tackle is 
going to do, and must adjust his move- 

48 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

merits accordingly. If the tackle goes in, 
he must go out ; if the tackle goes out, he 
must look out for the inside. 

DIAGRAM 5. 

defence: 



i 



© \ ® 

\ 

\ 

i 

® ©~ (® El (®j P) 

~Tf=<g l£] ^| @ y (g) 

/ © 

® /" / © 

#© 

ATTACK 
t 

DEFENCE FOR A PUNT. 

Diagram 5 shows the defence for a punt 
used by Kent College. The ends rush 

4 49 



THE STORY OF A 

across to hurry the kicker, also being on 
the look-out for trick runs. The half 
backs were eight yards back, watching for 
on-side kicks, and to block the opposing 
ends going down the field. The quarter 
back, and Captain Gibson, who played 
full back in this formation, were back 
from thirty to forty-five yards, according 
to the ability of the opposing kicker. The 
centre, guards, and tackles were instructed 
not to break through, but to wait for fakes 
of all kinds. 

If the opposing team was near enough 
to Kent's goal to attempt a drop kick, 
Captain Gibson and his players were 
placed as in diagram 6. Gibson and Kid 
Cross were the only two men back of the 
line; the half backs and ends moved in 
close, in order to rush across and hurry or 
block the kick. The tackles were instructed 
not to break through, but to hold the 

50 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

opposing ends, so that they could not go 
down for a forward pass. The two guards 

f^t DIAGRAM 6. 



£-> 



e^ 



t 
t 

t 
t 

r 



; J& (N\ , d") © RH © ®/ff7 ® 4 



®- 

ATTACK 



/< 



t 



' BUNCH ' FORWARD PASS NEAR GOAL. 

and the centre were instructed to break 
through and block the kick. 

51 



THE STORY OF A 

Diagram 6 also shows the forward pass 
play, which was very effective formerly, 
especially when used within drop kicking 
distance of goal. Under these circum- 
stances, the defending players must try 
harder to block or hurry the dangerous 
drop kicker, than they would usually try 
to block or hurry a punt in midfield. The 
centre snaps the ball to the quarter back, 
who steps over to point B, and with a long 
whirl of his arm backwards and above his 
head throws the ball high in the air and far 
down the field, where the right end, the 
right half back, and full back are supposed 
to be to catch it. The left end and left 
half back fake to the left. The signal for 
this play was 9. 

Diagram 7 shows an on-side kick — sig- 
nals 25 and 26. The back field fakes to 
the left, the quarter back starts with them, 
and then makes a low quarter back kick to 

52 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

the right; the right end delays for an 
instant, and then goes out to get the kick. 
It is generally better to have the quarter 

DIAGRAM 7. 



? 



p 



© ® fel (® @ 





AN ON-SIDE KICK. 



back make the on-side kick, because he is 
concealed behind his big forwards. He 
must delay as long as he can before he 
kicks. 

On the Saturday following the Howard 

53 



THE STORY OF A 

game, Kent met Vanderventer, and the 
play of the team was much smoother than 
on the Saturday before. Si Lawson got 
into a scrap in this game, and was put off 
the field. When the coach gave him a 
severe lecture about being so foolish as to 
scrap, he said: 

" Well, the man was trying to twist my 
ankle. What was I going to do? " 

"You mustn't scrap and get put off 
the team, no matter what happens; we 
can't afford that. There is one thing that 
our football teaches, and that is to keep 
your temper ; if you don't learn to control 
yourself, you will find that the other teams 
will get on to the fact, and that they will 
be worrying and nagging you all through 
the season, to try to get you put off." 

Kent College won this game by a score 
of 28 to 0, Kid Cross getting another goal 
from the field. 

54 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

The practice went off smoothly the next 
week; the snappy cold weather made it 
possible for the coach to drive the men a 

DIAGRAM 8 




(LK) 
FAKE KICK THROUGH LINE. 



little harder; and they were beginning to 
round out into good shape. The morning 
runs, instituted by Nick O'Connor, were 
beginning to show good results in the wind 

55 



THE STORY OF A 

of the players. Under the new rules, there 
is little time taken out, so that Kent was 
able to run the Vanderventer players right 
off their feet. The game was really no 
practice. There was so little opposition 
that everything went through with too 
much ease and smoothness. 

Diagram 8 shows a fake kick, which 
Coach Owens gave the team the next 
week. The men lined up in kicking for- 
mation, but the centre, instead of snap- 
ping the ball to Gibson, flipped it over to 
Longcope, who turned instantly and put 
it against Butler's stomach, as the latter 
shot by him. 

This play's effectiveness depended on 
how much the opposing line rose and sepa- 
rated in trying to break through, in order 
to block the kick. 

One morning, just before bugle call, 
Kid Cross woke his brother, who roomed 

56 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

with him in the training house, by a blood- 
curdling yell. 

"What's the matter, Kid?" cried the 
latter in startled tones, reaching over to 
the other cot, and giving his brother a 
punch. 

" I just had an awful dream," said the 
Kid, sitting up and rubbing his eyes in a 
dazed way. 

" What in the ' dickens ' are you yelling 
for, then?" asked Frank. 

" If you had had the dream I had, you 
would have yelled, too," was the reply. " I 
was dreaming that we were playing 
Sussex. The score was a tie, and we had 
them on the three yard line and only half 
a minute to play. I signalled for Harry 
Butler to smash through centre, depend- 
ing on him to make one of those head-first 
dives of his over the line, even if he broke 
his neck." 

57 



THE STORY OF A 

"Well, what happened? Did he break 
it? " asked the big fellow, now smiling. 

"No, he didn't break it," was the 
answer. "The don fool hurdled so high 
that he caught on the cross bars, and there 
he hung, while the referee blew his whistle. 
Do you blame me for yelling? " 

"That's a touchdown anyhow, you 
galoot. Don't you know the rules?" 
snapped the big brother. 

Just then the bugle sounded, and the 
Cross brothers went down in the dusky 
dawn, and joined the rest of the silent, 
sleepy football players. Trainer O'Con- 
nor was on hand with a piece of dry bread 
and a glass of milk for each man, and then 
they started off across country. They 
came back in high spirits, and with healthy 
appetites for breakfast. The Kid's dream 
was recounted, and amidst laughter the 
coach solemnly warned Butler not to 

58 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

hurdle so high in the future, as hurdling 
was against the rules anyhow. 

The next Saturday Kent was to meet 
the Westlake University team, which 
always put up a stiff game, and this year 
had a wonderful kicker, whose prowess 
was known far and wide. This man 
played at left half back, and very often 
punted from his regular position, which 
made him all the more dangerous, as no 
one knew when a punt was coming. The 
coach had Gibson and Kid Cross, Rudge 
and two or three sub backs out every 
afternoon that week practicing kicking 
and catching, before the regular practice. 
Gibson had been coached all through the 
season in placing his kicks, and in over a 
month's practice had acquired pretty good 
control of direction. Kid Cross was never 
allowed to practice drop kicking, without 
someone to run at him and hurry him. In 

59 



THE STORY OF A 

this way, he had acquired the steadiness 
that counts in a game. Lately he had 
fallen off in his kicking, and the coach set 
out to find what was the matter. 

"You are not dropping the ball far 
enough in front of you," he said, after the 
Kid had missed two or three trys. " The 
ball should be shot off with the point of the 
toe. If you drop it too close to you, you 
will hit it with the instep. A drop kicker's 
toe should be educated so perfectly that if 
he happens to drop the ball badly, then the 
educated toe will adjust itself to the 
fault." 

By adopting this advice, and dropping 
the ball further in front of him, the Kid 
regained his old form. Gibson had devel- 
oped into a tremendous place kicker, and 
was dangerous even from the centre of the 
field. In practice he could drive the ball 
over goal at that distance. He had learned 

60 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

the cardinal principle of place kicking, 
and that is to meet the ball with the point 
of the toe, the foot and ankle being kept as 
stiff as iron. Coach Owens, Captain Gib- 
son, and Kid Cross had spent hours to- 
gether during the season, practicing little, 
short punts, and long and short passing, 
until these two players had become expert. 
Gibson did most of the long passing in the 
" bunch" plays. 

Diagram 9 shows the first of the " skid- 
doo " group of plays. These plays all were 
characterized by on-side passes, and were 
called the "skiddoo" group, for some- 
thing better, because the signal for the 
first play of the group was 23. Under the 
old rules, the on-side pass could be used, 
and you could have as many of them as 
you wanted in a scrimmage. The play in 
the diagram starts with a fake triple tan- 
dem buck on tackle, the intent being to 

61 



THE STORY OF A 

draw in the opposing tackle and half back 
on that side. The quarter back makes a 
bluff to pass the ball to the head man in 

DIAGRAM 9. 




' SKIDDOO ' FORWARD PASS. 



the tandem, and then runs out toward the 
end himself. Just as the opposing end is 
about to tackle him, he throws on to the 



62 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

left end, and goes on down the field with 
the right end in front of him, to interfere, 
or to get a forward pass. The last two 
men in the tandem also slide off tackle and 
go down the field. 



63 



CHAPTER VI. 

The Westlake team proved to be all 
that was expected of it. Seaver, their 
kicking left half, and Gibson, the Kent 
captain, had a great punting duel, with 
honors slightly in favor of the Kent man, 
on account of his accurate placing. West- 
lake couldn't do much at gaining ground, 
and her forward passes were crude; but 
with two fast ends and Seaver's punting, 
she kept the score down to 16 to 0, two 
touchdowns and a place kick for goal by 
Gibson after a fair catch on the forty yard 
line. 

Toward the end of the second half Cross 
signaled for the first " skiddoo " play, and 
it worked like a charm. Randolph got the 
ball on the on-side pass over the Westlake 
left end's head, and running out a little 

64 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

way hurled a pass for twenty yards. It 
was caught by Phillips, who ran for ten 
yards more before he was downed. The 
Westlake ends had evidently been coached 
pretty carefully to watch for fakes, for 
when Kid Cross tried the 21 play, which is 
a " single " pass and shown in diagram 3, 
the Westlake right end followed Ran- 
dolph out, and when Gibson made the for- 
ward pass, Randolph, who should have 
been there to receive it, was tussling with 
the Westlake end. Noting this, Coach 
Owens, between the halves, instructed 
Gibson to keep on running instead of 
passing the ball. The result of this, when 
they tried it in the last half, was that there 
was no one there to intercept Gibson, the 
opposing end having followed Randolph 
down the field. That night after dinner, 
the coach gave this new play, with the sig- 
nals 25 and 26 for it. 

5 65 



THE STORY OF A 

The Westlake game showed that Kent 
had a strong team, especially well versed 
in the kicking game. The defence against 
straight plays had been fair, but as West- 
lake had no forward passes to amount to 
anything, the defence for these had not 
been tested. Kid Cross was learning to 
vary his attack rather cleverly. There were 
three more games to play, before the final 
match with Sussex, and each one of them 
was a stiff proposition. 

The practice on Cooper Field Monday 
after the Westlake game was very light. 
Several of the men were laid up with 
slight sprains and bruises. The coach 
gathered all the men around him and for 
half an hour there was a lively discussion 
of the faults which had been shown in the 
game on Saturday afternoon. Then keep- 
ing Gibson, Rudge, and Kid Cross out, 
he turned the rest of the men over to Nick 

66 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

O'Connor's care, and the trainer ordered 
some of them off for a cross-country run, 
and the rest he sent in to be rubbed by the 
professional rubbers. With the three men 
whom he had kept out, Coach Owens then 
proceeded to go through some very pecul- 
iar actions; in fact, Dr. Bond, the Chair- 
man of the Faculty Athletic Committee, 
and a party of ladies whom he had brought 
out to see the practice, began to laugh 
when they saw what was going on, and 
soon left, with the mystery unsolved. 
The coach, with a football in his hands, 
would run to a certain spot, put the ball 
down on the ground, and turn and ask a 
sudden question. Kid Cross would reply, 
and the coach would pick the ball up and 
run to another place and ask another 
question: Then there would be a little 
parley ; then he would throw the ball away 
down the field, and they would all run to 

67 



THE STORY OF A 

where it stopped rolling; then he would 
ask another question. This peculiar pro- 
ceeding kept up for half an hour all up 
and down the gridiron, and then the group 
went in, actively discussing plays and 
plans. What the coach had been doing 
was practicing his quarter backs in giv- 
ing the correct signal under all conditions 
all over the gridiron. After dinner that 
night in the lecture room, the coach drew 
diagram 10. 

" There are three zones of attack on a 
football field," he explained. "Inside of 
your forty yard line, between your forty 
yard line and the opponent's twenty-five 
yard line, and between the opponent's 
twenty-five yard line and the goal line. 
The first we call the danger zone ; the sec- 
ond, the neutral zone; and the third, the 
scoring zone. As a general rule, it is 
always well to punt out of the danger zone 

68 



FOOTBALL SEASON 



immediately, because a fumble or a mis- 
play in that territory might prove ex- 

DIAGRAM10. 



25YDLINE 



CENTRE. 



SCORING ZONE 



NEUTRAL ZONE 



DANGER 



ZONE 



ZONES OF ATTACK. 



25YD UN£ 



CENTRE 



40YD UNE 



25YD LINE 



tremely costly, giving the ball to the 
opponent close to your goal. In the 
neutral zone, as a general rule, vary your 



69 



THE STORY OF A 

play and take chances with tricks, forward 
passes, etc. In the scoring zone, try only 
those plays in which your side is not likely 
to lose the ball or lose ground ; and if you 
have a drop kicker, keep the ball in front 
of the goal posts." 

The game against Harlem on the 24th 
was to be on strange grounds, in a great 
city, and against an institution of 4000 
students, and was regarded by the coaches 
with secret fear, which, however, they kept 
to themselves. They told the team that 
they were up against a stiff proposition, 
but could win if they played football as 
they knew how to play it. The week be- 
fore Harlem had played the Elis a fairly 
close game, and the scouts, who had been 
sent over by Coach Owens to watch Har- 
lem's style, had come back and reported 
that the New Yorkers were hard to beat. 
They had a stiff defence, but had not 

70 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

shown much scoring ability against the 
Elis; also they had been a little weak in 
catching punts, but were exceedingly 
active on the defence. Two touch-downs 
had been made on them, as the indirect 
result of muffed kicks; but their oppo- 
nents had not tried many tricks on them, 
rather relying on straight rushing, punt- 
ing, and the on-side kick. Only one for- 
ward pass had been made, and that was 
worked fairly well. In preparation for 
this game the Kent College eleven was put 
through some hard scrimmages on Tues- 
day, Wednesday, and Thursday of the 
week preceding; on Friday the work was 
light, and all of the tricks were rehearsed 
a number of times. The coaches had de- 
cided that it was no use in holding back for 
the Sussex game, and Kid Cross was in- 
structed to show his full hand and try 
everything. Coach Owens had a last card 

71 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

up his sleeve to be learned in the two weeks 
of secret practice before the final great 
game. He had told the other coaches of 
his new idea, and they had all been much 
impressed. If Sussex could be surprised 
by a new play, she might be caught off her 
guard and beaten. 



72 



CHAPTER VII. 

On Friday night after dinner the 
coaches went into council behind closed 
duors. At this meeting were Buck Owens, 
head coach; Nick O'Connor, the trainer; 
Jim Mowbray, line coach ; Frank Hankey, 
a famous old end; Joe Wilding, Scrub 
coach; Jack Mitchell, who had been over 
to see Harlem play the Elis; and Walter 
Campbell, the experienced advisory coach 
who represented Kent on the Rules Com- 
mittee. It is easy to see by the strength of 
this council that the Kent football tacti- 
cians were getting down to serious work 
for the last half of the football season. 
Coach Owens opened the meeting by call- 
ing on Mitchell to repeat his report on 
the Harlem-Eli game. 

"They have got a stiff team at Har- 

73 



THE STORY OF A 

lem," said Mitchell, " and they keep play- 
ing to the finish; but we can beat them if 
our men are careful about being penalized 
for making fouls, and if we play a wide 
open game against them. They have a 
strong line defence, and it would be im- 
possible for us to score, I think, by straight 
football alone. As I told Buck, they are 
a little weak on catching kicks." 

"What sort of an attack have they?" 
asked Campbell. 

"Their attack against the Elis was 
more old-fashioned than anything I have 
seen yet, and I have seen all of the big 
teams playing this season. Their forward 
passes are crude. Their quarter back picks 
out what he thinks the weak place in the 
opposing line, and hammers that all 
through the game. He hammered the 
Elis' left tackle last week until the coaches 
had to send out a fresh man. They play 

74 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

the old-fashioned brute strength game, 
without the best modern ideas of open 
play." 

" We are not much afraid of that kind 
of a game," said Coach Owens. "The 
days of brute strength have passed. I 
believe young Cross has learned to vary 
his play effectively. He and I went all 
over the field again this afternoon, prac- 
ticing what signals to give under varying 
conditions, and his ideas are first class." 

" Have you got any system of showing 
the man who is going to make a forward 
pass just where to throw the ball? " asked 
Campbell. " The Indians used colored 
caps to indicate the man to whom the ball 
should be thrown." 

'Yes," said Buck Owens, "we have 
been teaching our men to hold up their 
hands, to show the thrower where they are. 
As soon as the pass is made, one of the 

75 



THE STORY OF A 

men, who is appointed to receive it, yells 
out, if he can get it, and the others in- 
stantly begin to interfere. The trouble 
with our game so far," continued the 
coach, "is that we have spent so much 
time on the forward pass, on-side kick, and 
punting game that we have not yet devel- 
oped a powerful simple attack. The 
stronger the simple attack is, the more 
effective will be the forward pass game. 
Of course we have Harry Butler, who can 
smash the centre of the line, but our 
straight half back bucks for quick open- 
ings, and our half back plays outside of 
tackle have not yet been perfected. Next 
week I am going to put the men through 
individual interference practice. They do 
not know how to knock out a tackier, and 
also have a bad tendency now to use their 
hands and arms which may prove very 
costly to us. The officials are very strict 

76 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

in calling this foul play down, and the 
penalty is heavy." 

This conversation on football was the 
beginning of a two hours' discussion. The 
new code of rules had set the football tac- 
ticians to thinking hard, and many a 
coaches' council that season lasted into the 
wee small hours. 

The next morning the Kent football 
squad took the 8 o'clock train for New 
York. Through the courtesy of a promi- 
nent railroad official, who was an alumnus 
of Kent, the squad always traveled in lux- 
urious private cars. The trainer and 
coaches deemed it wiser that the team take 
the two hours' run to New York the 
morning of the game, rather than go over 
the night before and sleep in strange beds. 

The game was called at 2 o'clock, and 
twenty thousand spectators were on hand 
to watch the contest. The teams trotted 

77 



THE STORY OF A 

out from opposite ends of the field almost 
at the same moment. After ten minutes of 
preliminary practice, the referee tossed the 
coin. Kent won, and Captain Gibson 
chose the north goal, with a slight wind at 
his back. 

Harlem kicked off. The kicker teed the 
ball up in the centre of the field, and sent 
it whirling high in the air, in order to give 
his men plenty of time to get down under 
it. Captain Gibson caught, but had not 
gained five yards before a flying tackle 
threw him hard. Gibson punted for fifty 
yards well beyond centre of the field, and 
Randolph, the fast left end, nailed the 
Harlem back the instant the ball landed in 
his arms, almost causing a muff. If Gib- 
son had sent the kick a little more to the 
left and lower, the probability is that Ran- 
dolph might have secured it on the bound. 
Harlem lined up quickly, and instantly 

78 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

shot a play at Tomlinson, Kent's right 
tackle. Phillips, the veteran right end, 
saw what was coming, and dove under the 
interference like a flash, piling it up. The 
runner, not being able to get over the pile, 
curved backwards, and went out towards 
end; Gibson, however, had come up from 
his position fifteen yards back of the line, 
and nailed him for no gain. The next play 
was an attempt to clear Phillips* The 
quarter evidently had figured that if the 
end came in so fast, a wide play might 
circle him. But Phillips was foxy and 
laid out, stopping the play without much 
difficulty. Harlem was forced to kick, it 
being third down. The ball did not go 
very far; Butler and Longcope blocked 
the Harlem ends cleverly, and Gibson got 
the ball on the bound, and with Kid Cross 
flying along in front of him, he came back 
eight yards. 

79 



THE STORY OF A 

The ball was landed on Kent's forty 
yard line, near the left side line. Cross 
signalled for a fake. The interference 
went to the right, but the runner shot 
straight down the side line, and was 
pushed out after a three yard gain. The 
ball was taken in fifteen yards from the 
side line by the referee, and Cross, who had 
noted that Harlem's left end had been 
coming in pretty fast, signalled for the 
"skiddoo" play, shown in diagram 9. 
With Longcope in the lead, Butler on his 
back, and Gibson on Butler's back, the 
tandem went smashing into the line on 
right tackle; Cross made a feint to give 
the ball to Longcope, and started out 
around the end. He had not gone three 
yards before he came in contact with Har- 
lem's left end, who had shot in hard. He 
simply passed the ball on and back to 
Randolph, the Kent left end, who had f ol- 

80 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

lowed him. In the meantime Phillips, 
Kent's right end, Gibson, and Harry But- 
ler had succeeded in getting well down the 
field in a bunch. The instant they saw 
that Randolph was clear with the ball, they 
held up their hands to signal, and making 
a long high forward pass, Randolph 
hurled the ball at them. Gibson yelled, " I 
have it," and the other two men started to 
interfere. The two of them succeeded in 
blocking off the Harlem full back, and 
Gibson, having caught the ball, went on 
for five yards, where he was nailed by 
Harlem's quarter back. 

The play had been brilliantly executed, 
and the Kent rooters were wild with de- 
light. Kid Cross followed this advantage 
with a couple of quick-opening smashes at 
the line, which netted six yards. It was 
third down, and four to gain, with the ball 
on Harlem's thirty-five yard line, near the 

6 81 



THE STORY OF A 

middle of the field. It was a little too far 
off to try field goal, so the Kid called for 
the play shown in diagram 8. The Kent 
eleven lined up as if for a try at goal, but 
the centre flipped the ball over to Long- 
cope, who passed to Butler as the latter 
went by him; Gibson was on Butler's back 
as he went through left guard, and the 
pair crashed along for five yards and first 
down. The ball was on the thirty yard 
line still in the centre of the field. Cross 
could not afford to give a signal which 
would lose the ball or lose ground, and 
moreover he was determined to keep in 
front of goal, so that as a last resort he 
would be in position to try a drop kick. 

Cross and Coach Owens had gone over 
this situation many a time together, and 
the Kid knew what to do. There was no 
hesitation in his voice as he called for two 
smashes at the centre of the line in quick 

82 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

succession. They netted four yards; the 
ball was on the twenty-six yard line. The 
Kid placed his men as if for another try 
at goal by a drop kick. The Harlem play- 
ers, with the exception of the quarter back, 
all came up on the line of scrimmage, in 
order to rush through and block the kick. 
The signal number was 9, which is the play 
shown in diagram 6 ; the ball was snapped 
to Cross, who ran to point B, a little to the 
right, and threw the ball about eighteen 
yards down the field. There were two 
men there to get it, Longcope and Joe 
Phillips, the end. Longcope yelled, "I 
have it; " Phillips smashed into the oppos- 
ing quarter back ; and as the ball settled in 
Longcope's arms the Harlem full back 
nailed him, but it was a fifteen yard gain, 
and the ball was almost on Harlem's goal 
line. A couple of heavy smashes by 
straight ahead half back bucks on tackle 

83 



THE STORY OF A 

carried the ball to the two yard line; and 
then, when the whole Harlem team was 
concentrated, expecting another smash at 
the line, the Kid signalled for the " skid- 
doo" play, shown in diagram 9. The 
tandem went smashing in, and when half 
the Harlem team piled up in front of it, 
the Kid, after feinting to pass the ball, 
sailed out around the right end, and kept 
on over goal line, not finding it necessary 
to pass to Randolph, who trotted along 
beside him. The punt out was worked 
neatly, and the Kid's cunning toe sent the 
ball over the bar for the extra point. 

Twelve minutes of the first half had 
been played, and it was 6 to in favor of 
Kent. The fray waged back and forth until 
Kent was again within striking distance 
of Harlem goal by reason of a muff of 
one of Gibson's long high punts. Phillips 
had fallen on the ball like a swift bird of 

84 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

prey. On the next play, however, Tom- 
linson, right tackle, was caught using his 
hands, and the umpire put Kent back 
fifteen yards, thus losing them the oppor- 
tunity to score. Shortly afterwards the 
whistle blew at the end of the first half. 

Cross was instructed between the halves 
to play entirely a kicking game, until he 
got within striking distance of goal. 
Coach Owens figured that they could score 
at least once by kicking tactics ; and then, 
as the effect would be to give the ball to 
Harlem a great deal, his team would get 
much needed practice on defence. 

The outcome of the second half proved 
that the coach was right in his judgment. 
Continued punting, well placed, began to 
worry the Harlem backs. Harlem seemed 
unable to block Randolph and Phillips, 
the Kent ends, and they were down the 
field under the kicks in beautiful form. 

85 



THE STORY OF A 

Finally Randolph secured a punt on Har- 
lem's twenty-five yard line; the Kid 
quickly sent a couple of smashes into cen- 
tre, and then fell back for a drop kick. 
The Harlem team began yelling, " Look 
out for a fake," and were so taken up get- 
ting ready to stop the expected fake that 
when the ball was quickly passed back to 
the Kid, he had plenty of time, and very 
deliberately took advantage of it, easily 
dropping the ball over the bar. It was a 
neatly executed play, and brought the 
score up to 10 to 0. Harlem, the last few 
minutes of the game, changed their rush- 
ing tactics, and began to try tricks of all 
kinds, hoping to score. Once or twice their 
daring seemed to be successful. An old- 
fashioned double pass was attempted, and 
it looked for an instant as if the Kent play- 
ers had been fooled. Phillips at end was 
drawn in badly, but big Lawson broke 

86 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

through the line and overpowered the run- 
ner before he could get under way. The 
time-keeper shortly afterwards came run- 
ning out on the field, and the referee blew 
his whistle, and the game was over, and 
Kent had yet to lose a game. 

A big crowd of rooters from Kent 
stayed over in New York, and, as college 
boys will, they tried to let every one in 
New York know that they had won a vic- 
tory. At the theatre that night, when the 
chorus of a frisky show appeared in the 
college colors, the joy of the rooters knew 
no bounds. The celebration was not so 
much for the glory of beating Harlem, for 
they all expected to beat that eleven any- 
how, but it was a good chance to celebrate, 
and they took advantage of it. 



87 



CHAPTER VIII. 

On a bench on the Harlem side of the 
field that afternoon there had been noticed 
a little group of three men. They did not 
seem to be saying much during the prog- 
ress of the play, but sat with intent, eager 
faces, studying every move of the Kent 
team. They were three of the Sussex 
coaches, Lewin, Winters, and Doughty, 
famous ex-players. 

When they walked off of Harlem Field 
that afternoon they smilingly thanked 
their hosts, the Harlem coaches, for the 
side line privileges which had been granted 
them readily ; but down in their hearts they 
were more serious than their faces would 
seem to indicate. They realized that Kent 
had a fast football machine, with great 
possibilities. The three Sussex scouts did 

88 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

not waste much time in New York, like 
the joyful rooters of Kent, but were soon 
seated in a snug compartment of a fast 
express, speeding away northward to 
Sussex. There was no thought in their 
minds but to get back as soon as possible, 
and prepare for the great battle to come. 
Lewin, on a piece of paper, was showing 
his two comrades the Kent defence, which 
had been his part in the division of the 
labor at the game that afternoon. Doughty 
had the offence; and Winters, the line. 
They were eagerly comparing notes, and 
preparing for the thousand and one ques- 
tions which they knew would be asked 
them when they got back to Sussex. 

"I can't make much out of the way 
their ends play," said Lewin. " They don't 
seem to have any particular way of play- 
ing at all; sometimes they shoot in, and 
sometimes they don't." 

89 



THE STORY OF A 

"What about the half backs on de- 
fence?" asked Doughty. 

" Well, Butler, the full back, who is the 
left half on defence, seems to back up 
very quickly; he does not wait as long as 
Longcope, who backs up the right tackle. 
Longcope plays a more crafty game, and 
holds back a little, till he is pretty sure 
what kind of play is coming at him. But- 
ler, however, is a regular smasher, and 
w T hen he goes into the interference, he rips 
in hard." 

"Well," said Doughty, "then we will 
try forward passes on Butler's side of 
Kent's line, and we'll try straight runs at 
the other side. Longcope backs up Tom- 
linson, the weaker of the two tackles. If 
we put some fast plays at them we will 
gain some ground. Kent seems to be 
pretty good at a kicking game. Do you 
fellows realize that that little quarter back, 

90 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

Cross, is a wonder? He played an error- 
less game to-day." 

"I should say I did realize it," said 
Winters. " He is going to be the most 
dangerous factor in our game with Kent." 

"Suppose that boy gets hurt," said 
Lewin; "have they got anybody to take 
his place?" 

"Nobody but Rudge, last year's sub," 
said Doughty, and the three Sussex scouts 
exchanged meaning looks. 

" Well, such things have been known to 
happen," said Lewin grimly. 

The work was light on Cooper Field 
the following Monday and Tuesday. The 
coaches of Kent were getting worried 
about the regular mid-season slump. It 
seems impossible for any football team, 
no matter how well trained, to go through 
the season without a bad slump ; it gener- 
ally arrives about the middle of the season. 

91 



THE STORY OF A 

The men are becoming a little sore and 
weary of the ceaseless strain on their 
nerves and strength that college football 
entails. It is at this time that molehills 
become mountains, and the little troubles 
assume giant proportions. The ambition 
and loyal spirit that keeps a squad to- 
gether, self-sacrificing comrades working 
for a common end, appears to wane a little 
bit in slump time. A clever trainer can 
detect the signs of over-training, which is 
the real cause of the slump, by the way his 
men sleep and eat, by irritability, and 
other little signs. Nick O'Conner on 
Monday afternoon called Coach Owens 
aside, before the practice, and said : 

"Look here, Buck, some of these boys 
are going just a bit stale. I guess we will 
have to let up on them a little this week. 
There's Captain Gibson, for instance ; he 's 
been so worried about getting things to 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

run straight that he tosses about all night 
long. It is nothing very bad that I 'm 
telling you; you needn't get worried. 
Under the new rules the game isn't so 
grinding as it used to be, so I 'm not so 
much afraid of a bad slump." 

" Great Scott, man ! " said Coach Owens, 
" we 've got a fearful lot to learn, and we 
need the practice badly." 

"I know that," responded Nick, "but 
you know yourself that one good practice 
will do these boys more good than a dozen 
bad practices. You Ve got to have them 
feeling right for the right kind of prac- 
tice." 

"Well, I guess you're right, Nick," 
said Coach Owens resignedly. 

In the coaches' council that night re- 
ports were heard from the scouts sent out 
to watch the Sussex-Middletown game of 
the Saturday before, and also the reports 

93 



THE STORY OF A 

of those sent down to watch the Marines 
play. It was agreed that if Kent could 
only tide over the Marine game on the 
following Saturday, she would be ready 
to take the home stretch for Prairie and 
Sussex in great shape. Marine College 
always had a "cracker- jack" team. The 
players were kept in the finest condition, 
and were a swift, hardy bunch, who took 
to the new rules like ducks to water. After 
Marine came Prairie University, and that 
game would be the East against the West, 
During the whole of the week following 
the Harlem game almost no scrimmage 
work was used in the practice. The morn- 
ing runs still continued regularly, and 
kept the men in fit condition. It was de- 
cided by the coaches to drill the Varsity 
more thoroughly in the plays now at their 
command. The substitutes and the Scrub 
of course regularly went through the daily 

94 



FOOTBALL SEASON 



scrimmage, but the first eleven were pol- 
ished off in signal practice and the per- 
\ — f DIAGRAM 11. 



@©@> © ® e ©@fr)©@ 



LH 



15 WS 10 : YDS 15 




CENTRE 



THE KICK-OFF. 



f ection of the all-important kicking game. 
At a lecture one night the coach drew dia- 

95 



THE STORY OF A 

gram 11 on the blackboard, to illustrate 
the kick-off, or the opening play of the 
game. 

"You will notice," he said, "how the 
kicking side is arranged in a long drawn 
out line across field ; and the side receiving 
the kick is placed in a scattered fashion to 
cover their whole territory in the best man- 
ner. As a general principle the fast run- 
ners are placed well back, and the heavier 
men forward. There is only one success- 
ful way to run back the kick-off, and that 
is for the player towards whom the kick is 
sent to catch the ball on the run, and then 
dart, as straight as a bird flies, down the 
field at top speed. The rest of the men 
should gather in front of him at full speed 
also, their movements being timed so that 
they will not slow the runner up, but 
rather so that they shall be under way 
when he dashes in amongst them from 

96 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

behind. Certain celebrated players have 
made phenomenal runs in this way. The 
object of all this speed is to get down the 
field before the wide flung line of the kick- 
ing side has time to converge and concen- 
trate on the runner. The greater the 
speed, the thinner will be the line of tack- 
lers. It takes long practice for the man 
who catches the ball to learn to run at tip- 
top speed down the field straight as an 
arrow, until he gathers full momentum, 
and then to swerve only the slightest bit in 
his course to dodge an oncoming tackier; 
and to increase his speed, rather than de- 
crease it by slowing up to dodge. It is a 
reckless piece of business to dash this way 
into a scattered field, and I have seen some 
men get nasty falls ; but it is the only way 
to succeed." 



97 



CHAPTER IX. 

On Friday morning the Kent squad, 
including players, substitutes, coaches, 
trainer, rubbers-down, manager, and 
assistant manager, took the train for St. 
Johns, where Marine College was situ- 
ated. This was too long a trip to be 
attempted on the morning of the game. 
On the trip down Coach Owens sat with 
Kid Cross and Captain Gibson with a 
written report of the scouts who had been 
to see Marine play in front of him, and 
reviewed the style of play to be used. The 
Marine eleven was a shifty team, and had 
been thoroughly coached in the new style 
of game. Unlike Harlem, their defence 
was planned particularly to stop a very 
open attack, including the forward pass 
and on-side kick; their ends played wide, 

98 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

and the half backs five yards back of their 
respective tackles ; it looked as if they were 
laying for forward passes especially. 
Coach Owens carefully went over all of 
this to Kid Cross, and then asked him 
what was his opinion as to the best attack 
to be used against Marine. 

"How do their tackles play on de- 
fence?" asked Cross. 

" They have a very fast and shifty pair 
of tackles," said Coach Owens. " Perhaps 
that 's why their ends and half backs play 
so far away. They trust the tackles to 
stop straight plays." 

" Do their tackles play in or out? " 

" The left tackle plays pretty well out, 
and the right tackle plays a little further 
in," was the reply. 

"Well," said Kid Cross, "the best plan, 
I think, will be to send straight ahead half 
back bucks at those tackles, until we bring 

99 



THE STORY OF A 

them in, and then shoot fast interference 
plays just outside of them. I would play 
a smashing, bucking game almost entirely 
until we force those half backs and ends to 
play in a little closer. When they did this, 
then we would be able to work a forward 
pass or two; but as long as they are out 
where they are we would be playing right 
into their hands to try a forward pass." 

"Well, that's our policy, then," said 
Coach Owens. " We '11 smash them at first 
on straight plays combined with a good 
deal of kicking. I don't want to use our 
men up too much, because the halves will 
be twenty-five minutes each. It looks to 
me as if it was going to be a windy day to- 
morrow, and majHbe rain. In case of wind 
you two men must use your brains and 
judgment 'to beat the band' in handling 
those punts. If the other side is kicking 

against the wind, it is very difficult of 

100 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

course to handle their punts, because they 
drop so close to scrimmage ; and you must 
play so that you can always get under 
them on the fly. Gibson, if I were you, in 
such a case I would send the two half 
backs up into the line to block the oppos- 
ing ends, rather than play them back, as 
we do on a quiet day, or with the wind 
against us." 

"By the way, Nick," continued Coach 
Owens, calling across the car to the little 
trainer, " it looks as if it might be slippery 
and muddy to-morrow down there; how 
about cleats?" 

" Oh, I 'm prepared for that; you don't 
catch me napping," replied Nick. " Every 
man has an extra pair of shoes with mud 
cleats on them. Those mud cleats, you 
know, are one big cleat across the middle 
of the shoe, nearly an inch thick." 

"Captain Gibson," said Coach Owens, 

101 



THE STORY OF A 

" I have a welcome announcement to make 
to you. I expect Hefflefoot to join us to- 
night at St. Johns. He arrives from the 
West to-day. In his time ' Heff ' was a 
tremendous gridiron fighter, and for a 
week I have been imploring him to come 
on and help us out of our little slump. We 
need a little new blood in the coaching, and 
the mere fact of having ' Heff ' around, 
even if he doesn't do any coaching, will 
help the men." 

The private car was switched to another 
train at Biltmore, and a little puffing 
engine took the Kent football army on 
down to St. Johns. This quaint little 
town, the home of the great Government 
School, was ideally situated on a beautiful 
harbor. Uncle Sam had just been build- 
ing magnificent new buildings, and no 
sooner had the Kent squad arrived at Car- 
well Hall, the quiet old Colonial inn at 

102 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

which they were to be quartered, than they 
were all anxious to go out and look 
around. It was 4 o'clock in the afternoon, 
but the coaches decided to cut out the short 
practice which they had at first intended 
taking, in order to limber the men up ; and 
instead sent them all sight-seeing through 
the great Government institution. 

When Si Lawson, who was walking 
along with the Cross brothers, saw a double 
line of a hundred or so cadets stiffly march- 
ing along and noted the small size of the 
youngsters, he sneeringly remarked : 

" Say, fellows, is that the best they Ve 
got down here? Why, it's a shame to play 
against those kids ; I could eat a couple like 
that for my breakfast every morning." 

"Well, Si," laughingly remarked big 
Cross, " you had better get all that out of 
your mind; those boys are only first year 
men. Remember there are about 1500 stu- 

103 



THE STORY OF A 

dents down here. Moulton, who plays 
against you to-morrow, is a whale; they 
say he is as fierce as a tiger, and is going 
to claw you up before the game is half 
over." 

"That's what I want," said the big 
fellow. " I 'm feeling so good now that I 
hate to bother with any other kind than 
that." 

Kid Cross laughed, and turning to 
Lawson, said: "Look here, now, you big 
brute, don't you start to scrapping to-mor- 
row, and get put out of the game. They 
have fired you once already this season ; if 
you get it again, the faculty will shut you 
out of that Sussex game. I guess you 
want to play against them, don't you?" 

"Well, rather," said Lawson. "I'm 
getting to feel like everybody else does 
around Kent. Beating Sussex is about 
all we really care for, anyhow." 

104 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

The next afternoon Marine Field, over- 
looking the waters of the harbor, which 
were glancing and sparkling in the bright 
sunshine, was a gay and unusual scene. A 
strong wind blowing down the field flut- 
tered the gay ribbons of the fair specta- 
tors, and brought anxious thoughts to the 
coaches. A crowd of several thousand 
was present. One side of the field, a solid 
mass of blue, indicated the battalion of 
cadets there to yell their team to victory. 
Their famous siren cheer had often 
quailed the hearts of their adversaries. 
Another stand was filled with spectators; 
and across the gridiron were more thou- 
sands viewing the spectacle standing and 
from chairs and benches. Here the 
officers and their families were given the 
best seats, and right in front of them on 
long benches sat the subs of the Kent 
team. 

105 



THE STORY OF A 

The teams had taken their preliminary 
work, and when the referee tossed the coin 
for choice of goal, the players tossed over 
their sweaters to the subs. It was a fore- 
gone conclusion that the winner would 
take the wind, as it is always well to secure 
the advantage at the start of the game; 
and again, the wind might die down 
toward the end, as it has been known to do 
in great matches of the past. 

Marine won the toss, and as the cadet 
team scattered over the territory in front 
of the north goal, shouts of exultation 
went up from the mass of blue in the 
stand. Captain Gibson had elected to kick 
off, because he was afraid that the Marine 
kicker would drive the kick-off across the 
goal line, thus forcing Kent to punt out 
from the twenty-five yard line, which is a 
distinct disadvantage. 

Kent lined up across the centre of the 

106 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

field, and Gibson teed up the ball. The 
wind blew it down once or twice, to the 
amusement of the spectators, but finally it 
was sent away with a powerful drive di- 
rectly into the teeth of the gale; it rose 
steadily, seemed to hover a second in the 
air, and finally dropped straight down into 
the arms of the Marine full back. Law- 
son, Deering, and Kid Cross were all there 
at the same instant. It was a terrific 
tackle, but only a forerunner of the fierce- 
ness with which the whole game was to be 
played. 

Buck Owens, knowing the slight slump 
that his men were in, had been afraid of 
this game, when, under ordinary circum- 
stances, with his team in the finest condi- 
tion, he would have had no fear. Heffle- 
f oot, the giant guard and renowned fighter 
of old, had arrived late the night before; 
and when the players were called together 

107 



THE STORY OF A 

for their final instructions, before going 
on the field, Coach Owens had introduced 
the newcomer, and he had made a speech 
to the men. His earnest words had 
brought out a little of the enthusiasm that 
had somehow been lacking, and when 
Owens sent his eleven out on the field, it 
was with more confidence as to the 
outcome. 

Marine immediately punted after catch- 
ing the kick-off; Kid Cross was away 
down the field, ready for such a play, and 
Gibson came racing back to help him. The 
punt was beautifully placed, well to the 
left, and traveled with such speed in the 
wind that Cross could not get under it, 
and the ball rolled on to the fifteen yard 
line. Taking a quick glance at the on- 
coming end rushers, and noting that they 
were at a fairly safe distance, Cross went 
for the ball, carefully picked it up, and 

108 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

just as the end was making a fierce dive at 
him, hoping to nab him unawares, he side- 
stepped, and raced down the field. The 
oncoming tacklers were too thick, how- 
ever, and he only succeeded in cutting ten 
yards off of a seventy yard gain. This 
mighty kick threw Kent on her defence 
almost under the shadow of her goal, and 
the Marine followers gave their weird 
siren yell. It would do little good to punt 
here in the teeth of the gale, because a fair 
catch might be made in front of goal; so 
the only thing left to do was to buck it 
down the field. 

The Kent team set to with a dogged de- 
termination. If they could only use up 
the twenty-five minutes of the first half, 
without being scored upon, they were 
almost certain to win. Time and time 
again Longcope and Gibson plunged 
straight ahead into the line at the head of 

109 



THE STORY OF A 

triple tandems. Kid Cross was marvel- 
ously quick in getting the ball to the run- 
ner on these quick-opening plays, and for 
thiiiy yards the Kent team smashed along 
until the ball was out of danger. It was 
first down on Kent's forty yard line. But- 
ler went into the line on a cross buck to the 
right, gathering in two yards; Longcope 
twisted straight through right tackle for 
six yards; and a Marine man went down 
hurt. It looked as if Kent was going to 
smash her way to goal; but when the in- 
jured player was fixed up, and the play 
was renewed in the two minutes prescribed 
by the rules, Kid Cross noted a change in 
the defence. The Marine half backs were 
closer, playing just back of tackle, and the 
ends had moved in. It was what the Kid 
wanted. The open defence of the cadets 
was beginning to concentrate. It was 

third down, two yards to gain, and the ball 
no 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

just about the centre of the field. The Kid 

signalled for the first " skiddoo " play; the 

tandem went straight ahead at tackle ; the 

Kid made a bluff to give it to Longcope, 

and then dashed off for right end with 

Randolph, the Kent left end, at his back. 

The Marine left end tackled Kid Cross, 

but just before he could close in the ball 

was passed on to Randolph, who kept on 

down the field for a ten yard gain. Shortly 

after this Kent was put back fifteen yards 

for holding. On the third down, Cross 

signalled for a fake kick and forward 

pass, but the play failed, and the ball went 

to Marine. 

Marine, true to her best policy, punted 

instantly. This time her kicker sent the 

ball whirling very high into the air; the 

wind caught it up there, and carried it for 

a full fifty yards; Kid Cross and Gibson 

were back; Cross yelled "I have it," and 

111 



THE STORY OF A 

allowing for the wind, judged the ball cor- 
rectly. Standing close in front of him was 
Gibson, ready for a muff, and playing it 
safe. Again Kent started to smash down 
the field, but the pace had begun to tell, 
and Marine was concentrating her de- 
fence. Afraid to try forward passes in 
his own territory, Cross signalled for a 
punt. Gibson drove it low and hard 
against the wind, but it was captured on 
the bound by the Marine quarter back. 
Again Marine kicked, and again the 
punter boosted the ball high into the air; 
this time the ball dropped on the ten yard 
line in Gibson's arms ; he cut off ten yards 
by a brilliant dash, and it was Kent's ball 
on her twenty yard line. 

The time-keeper sent out word there 
were ten minutes left to play. After try- 
ing a couple of bucks, Kid Cross signalled 

for a kick. Gibson shot the ball well off to 

112 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

the left and low, being afraid of a fair 
catch in front of goal, when it would be 
an easy matter for Marine to have scored 
on the place kick. 

It was Marine's ball on Kent's forty 
yard line. For the first time in the game, 
the Marine quarter back began to rush the 
ball. A sharp dash at Tomlinson caught 
that player napping, for four yards; 
another quick play outside of Tomlinson 
resulted in the necessary six yards for this 
down. Another one at the same spot was 
nailed by Longcope for a yard gain. On 
the next play the Marine right tackle 
shifted over to the left side of the line, and 
it was plain to be seen that Tomlinson, 
Kent's right tackle, was to be the target of 
attack. They were going to attempt to 
use him up, and make their gains through 
his place in the line. Tomlinson did not 
shift quickly enough, and was boxed easily 

8 113 



THE STORY OF A 

for another good gain. It was third down, 
two yards to go. The same shift was at- 
tempted, but instead of the play on Tom- 
linson, a long pass was made to the right 
end. Gibson stopped the runner after he 
had gone five yards. It was the fiercest 
attack that Kent had been up against dur- 
ing the season, and the ball was nearing 
the goal. Time had been called for an 
injury, and Gibson went up to Longcope 
and Kid Cross. 

" Look here, boys, something has got to 
be done to stop this business. You go in 
quicker, Longcope, to back up Tomlinson; 
I '11 move over to that side more, instead of 
playing right back of centre. Kid, we are 
not much afraid they are going to kick 
this close to goal, so you come up more to 
the left side, or almost to the position I 
usually play. Don't move into these posi- 
tions until the instant before the ball is 

114 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

snapped, so as not to put them on to what 
we are doing." 

Joe Phillips, the right end, veteran 
that he was, had already decided to smash 
in under the plays aimed at Tomlinson, 
and told Longcope that he was going to 
do this. The next Marine play was a quick 
dash at Kent's left tackle; Deering, de- 
fending that side of the line, was a stone 
wall. The same shift as before against 
Tomlinson was attempted, but Longcope 
and Phillips went in so sharply that they 
smashed the interference as it hit the line ; 
and this, with Gibson hovering behind the 
pile, gave small chance for the Marine 
half back to gain. He was quickly smoth- 
ered for a small loss. The ball was near 
the centre of the field, and on the twenty 
yard line, so the only thing left Marine to 
do was either to try a drop kick, or a fake 
drop kick with a forward pass, or some 

115 



THE STORY OF A 

other trick. The Kent scouts had reported 
that Marine's drop kickers did not amount 
to much ; so when Marine formed as if for 
a try at goal, every Kent player felt down 
in his heart that a trick was coming. The 
two teams were now lined up on Kent's 
twenty yard line, directly in front of goal, 
as in diagram 6; Gibson was ten yards 
back ; Butler, left half on defence, came up 
on the line outside of left tackle; Ran- 
dolph, the end, stood right beside him; 
Deering, left tackle, was fully prepared to 
block the Marine's right end from going 
down the field, and made no attempt what- 
soever to break through to block the kick. 
When the ball was snapped, the Marine 
right end tried to break away from the 
left tackle, who simply held him; the right 
half back and full back tried to dash out 
and go down the field, but both were 
blocked by Phillips and Butler. The 

116 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

Marine quarter made a long, high pass, 
which landed securely in Kid Cross's arms, 
and he brought the ball back to the line of 
scrimmage before he was downed. The 
danger point had been passed ; there were 
less than five minutes to play, and the Kid 
held onto the ball like grim death and 
used up time until the whistle blew. 



117 



CHAPTER X. 

Eleven subs rushed on the field with 
blankets, which they threw over the 
shoulders of the players, and then the 
whole squad hustled into one of the old 
boat-houses, where the teams that play 
Marine are always taken between the 
halves. A moment later, when Coach 
Owens came into the big room, where the 
players were lying around and resting, 
there was a cheerful atmosphere about, 
and when he started to talk, a smile was 
on his face. 

"Well, boys, we've got 'em. With the 
wind at our backs this half we will play the 
kicking game, and I will guarantee that 
when we get down within striking distance 
we won't fail to score. These Marines will 
fight to the finish, and you will find them 

118 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

coming at you harder than ever during 
this half, so for the sake of old Kent, don't 
let up. As soon as we score, remember 
that we change sides, and have to fight 
against the wind again." 

Then the coach walked over where 
Tomlinson lay. This player had borne the 
brunt of the fierce Marine attack, and he 
was pretty well done up. Nick O'Connor 
was working over him as he would over a 
prize-fighter. 

"Tomlinson, you did great work, boy; 
show them what 's in you, and fight harder 
than ever this half," said the coach. 

"We'll stop them all right," said Jack 
Longcope, who was sitting by Tomlinson ; 
"we're on to their tricks now, and I'll 
guarantee they won't gain ground through 
our side during this half." 

"One minute left," cried the referee, 
sticking his head in the door. 

119 



THE STORY OF A 

"All right, boys," cried the coach; 
" let 's get out there on the field first." 

A couple of minutes afterwards the 
whistle blew, and the Marine kicker sent 
the ball whirling into Kent's territory. It 
was accurately caught, and the fray started 
again. A couple of exchanges of kicks 
soon had the ball in Kent's possession on 
Marine's thirty-five yard line. The orders 
had been to score by a touch-down, and not 
a drop kick, because if Kent scored by 
drop kick, the teams would immediately 
change sides, with the advantage of the 
wind again in Marine's favor, and her 
eleven might top the score of four points, 
made by a drop or place kick, by them- 
selves pushing a touch-down over. Slowly, 
but surely, the Kid crushed his heavy 
tandem attack down the field, until the 
twenty yard line was reached. The de- 
fence was here concentrated; Butler went 
120 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

into centre for two yards on a cross buck ; 
Gibson skirted right tackle for six yards ; 
and quick as a flash the Kent team lined 
up, and Gibson shot straight ahead for 
first down. The ball was on the nine yard 
line, and two more desperate plunges 
landed it on the three yard mark. The 
Marine first line was crouched close to 
the ground in a last supreme effort to stop 
Kent's powerful tandem; the second line 
of defence filled in like a Spartan phalanx ; 
only the ends laid out to protect the wings. 
Again the Kent tandem smashed into the 
line, but instead of Longcope having the 
ball, Kid Cross made a bluff to pass it to 
him, and himself carried it out. Straight 
at left end flew the Kid, and, to the amaze- 
ment of the spectators, he ran plumb into 
that player's arms; just before the impact, 
however, the Kid tossed the ball neatly 

over the end's head straight on out, and it 

101 



THE STORY OF A 

settled into Randolph's arms, that player 
having followed fast on the Kid's tracks. 
There was no one to oppose the runner, 
and he circled in behind the goal. The 
play was beautifully worked, and the 
Kid's cunning toe scored the other point. 

With fifteen minutes left to play, with 
the score 6 to against them, the Marines 
took the side with the wind in their backs, 
and started in fighting desperately to ham- 
mer out a victory. They kept the ball in 
Kent's territory most of this half, but the 
wind had slackened up a bit, and Gibson's 
punts were good for forty yards. One of 
them was muffed, and recovered by Phil- 
lips toward the end of the game, thus rob- 
bing the Marines of their last hope to tie 
the score. 

It was a jolly crowd that rode back to 
Carwell Hall in the Kent 'buses after the 
game was over. The coaches were espe- 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

cially pleased, and Coach Owens remarked 
to big Hefflefoot: 

"Now for Prairie University with a 
clear record. Only one more battle before 
we meet Sussex. This victory to-day will 
have a splendid effect on the minds of the 
men. Nick O'Connor tells me that they 
are all right physically; all they needed 
was a victory like this." 

"It seems to me I saw my old friend 
Lewin," said Hefflefoot. "He was over 
on the Marine side lines. I played against 
him for three years." 

"Well, you're right," said Coach 
Owens. "He is still on our trail, and 
moreover, he has been to every one of our 
games this season. They seem to have 
selected him especially to make a study of 
our team. He's pretty bright, too, you 
know." 

'Yes, he's a good man on defence," 

123 



THE STORY OF A 

said Hefflefoot. "Who did Sussex play 
to-day?" 

" They went up to Stony Point to meet 
the Soldiers. We had Mitchell and Harry 
Wilder up there watching them ; Mitchell 
is not a very good coach, but he is pretty 
good at sizing up a team." 

"I suppose we will get his report to- 
morrow night," said Hefflefoot. 

"Yes," said Buck Owens. "By the 
way, let 's go to the telegraph office here, 
and get the scores of the other games 
played to-day." 

And so, eagerly discussing football, the 
two Kent coaches walked briskly down the 
street, by the Governor's mansion, and dis- 
appeared into the little telegraph office. 

By this time the team was back to the 
hotel, and the players were hustling to see 
who could get into the baths first. 

"What the dickens are you limping 

124 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

about?" said Nick O'Connor, as he came 
up behind Kid Cross, in the hallway. 

" I wrenched my knee a little bit," said 
the Kid. 

The little trainer gulped down an ejacu- 
lation. " Let 's have a look at it," he said. 

After an anxious examination, he re- 
marked with a relieved voice : " Well, Kid, 
it don't amount to much, but these things 
are dangerous, and you will have to keep 
off that leg for two or three days anyhow. 
I will bandage it with lead water and 
laudanum right away." 

At this instant Buck Owens, followed 
by the giant Hefflefoot, rushed into the 
trainer's room, and the coach called out: 
"What's this I hear about the Kid? Is 
he hurt?" 

"No, he's all right," was Nick's reply. 
" We '11 have to rest him up a little, that 's 
all." 

125 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

"How are the rest of the men?" asked 
Hefflefoot. 

" They 're pretty well banged and 
bruised up ; it was a hard game to-day, but 
I don't think we Ve got anything serious. 
Randolph sprained that bad shoulder of 
his again, but it don't actually stop him, 
and he 's got grit enough to stand the pain 
all right." 

The Kent squad dined that night on 
their private car, and after several hours 
of travel arrived home weary and sore, and 
were royally received by the students at 
the quaint little station in the old college 
town. 



126 



CHAPTER XI. 

On Monday afternoon no regular prac- 
tice was attempted. Coach Owens lined 
up the Varsity and Scrub in position, the 
Varsity being on defence, and the Scrub 
on attack. 

"Now, fellows/' began Coach Owens, 
" Prairie University uses various shifts on 
attack, and to-day I am going to discuss 
defence for these shifts. The Prairie 
quarter gives a signal, and then, an instant 
before the ball is snapped, the shift is sud- 
denly made, hoping to catch the defence 
unawares. If you should keep your sim- 
ple defence formation against a shifted 
attack, they would have you at their 
mercy." 

The coaches lined up the two teams as 
shown in diagram 12. 

127 



THE STORY OF A 

"This is the simplest shift," he said; 
" the back field is moved to one side or the 
other, the line remaining in regular posi- 

ATTACK DIAGRAM \1. 



t 
® 

®> @ ® m @ @ v (i$ 

4 ^ B " v w i, > 



© 



DEFENCE 



DEFENCE FOR * RIGHT FORMATION.' 

tion. You will note that the attacking 
back field is shifted to your right. Now, 
as soon as you see that shift, I want some- 

128 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

body to yell ' right formation. 5 There are 
two conclusions immediately to be drawn 
by the defence; the first is that no run is 
apt to be made around the defence's left 
end ; and the second, that with a right foot 
kicker there is not apt to be a punt from 
this formation. Our five centre men shift 
half a man to the right ; the full back shifts 
back of right tackle; the right half back 
keeps his position just outside of right 
tackle; the left half back, who is Gibson 
in this case, moves over to the right ; the 
quarter back comes up to about twenty- 
five yards back of centre. The instant the 
ball is snapped, the right end shoots 
across quickly; the right half back goes 
in hard the instant he sizes up which way 
the play is going ; the left half watches for 
forward passes to the right and backs up ; 
the left end, who remains out about five 
yards, and a yard back of the line of scrim- 

9 129 



THE STORY OF A 

mage, stays out there and watches the 
opposing right end, to see that he does not 
move out for a forward pass or an on-side 



ATTACK 



DIAGRAM 15. 



© 



© 



@ 



©/* @ @ El © ® © 
ISP ~1&~ ~©~S ©~ © 



~*& 



© DEFENCE 



@. 



DEFENCE FOR ' LEFT FORMATION.' 



kick; the full back looks out for cross 
bucks, and backs up all along the line." 
To illustrate the defence for left for- 



130 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

mation, Coach Owens lined up the two 
teams as shown in diagram 13. 

"With a right foot kicker," explained 
the coach, " a punt must be expected from 
this formation, so therefore Cross must 
play well back ; and also Gibson must play 
in his usual position, but a little to the left 
of centre, fifteen yards back ; the full back 
lays outside of tackle ; the left end goes in 
hard to smash into the play ; the right half 
back moves over between his tackle and 
guard about a yard back of the line, 
watches for cross bucks, and backs up all 
along; the right end plays five yards out, 
and a little back, watching for forward 
passes. In this way he takes the responsi- 
bility off of Gibson for forward passes on 
that side, and leaves him free to back up 
more sharply to the left." 

The two teams were next lined up as in 
diagram 14. 

131 



THE STORY OF A 

" This, from our standpoint, is ' end- 
over left,' " said Coach Owens. " As soon 
as someone yells this, the whole team 



ATTACK 



1 



DIAGRAM 14 



© ® 



/* / ©„@) (8 m (® . @ 

) © © © icj © "@ -@ 






DEFENCE FOR ' END-OVER LEFT. ' 

should know exactly what to expect and 
what to do. In these end-over plays, you 
are not afraid of punts, so the quarter back 
can safely sneak up a little the instant 

132 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

before the ball is put in play. The three 
centre men shift a half space to the left; 
also the right tackle comes in a little bit, 
because he has no opposing end to box him, 
and he must play to stop cross bucks ; the 
right half back comes in a little ; the right 
end plays just outside of tackle, and 
watches that a forward pass is n't made to 
the opposing left tackle, because, as that 
player is on the end of the line, he is eligi- 
ble to receive a forward pass ; the left end 
crosses a little and keeps the shifted oppos- 
ing left end off with straight arms, watch- 
ing for the runner ; he follows the shifted 
end out for forward passes. The full back 
shoots through and dives under the inter- 
ference instantly; the left half back con- 
centrates almost his whole attention to 
defending the left side. 

"The defence for 'end-over right' is 
simply vice versa." 

133 



THE STORY OF A 

The two teams were next lined up as in 
diagram 15. 

" This is ' tackle-over left,' " said Coach 
Owens. " You may expect a punt in this 

ATTACK 

DIAGRAM 15. 

® 

@ (a) @ &m © (u) 

w DEFENCE 

DEFENCE FOR * TACKLE-OVER LEFT.' 

formation. All five centre men shift a full 
space to the left; the right end stays out 
and back of the line of scrimmage a little 

134 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

way, watching for fakes; the right half 
back plays just back between his right 
guard and tackle ; the full back plays a lit- 
tle bit back and outside of his left tackle ; 
the left half back moves over to the left; 
and the full back watches the opposing 
right end, as well as the back field. If the 
opposing right end starts out as if to re- 
ceive a forward pass, the full back blocks 
him." 

Diagram 16 shows the line-up for what 
is termed " big shift left." 

"In this," said Coach Owens, after the 
two teams had been arranged properly, 
" the opposing left tackle and left end are 
shifted over, the tackle coming in the line 
outside of his tackle, and the left end out- 
side of his right end, and a little back. Our 
right end moves in to help stop the cross 
bucks and the plays around his end; he 
must never get drawn in too much. The 

135 



THE STORY OF A 

five centre men shift over just one man; 
the full back moves up on the line just out- 
side of tackle ; the left end moves in about 




© DIAGRAM 16. 
® 

© ® 

© © <& E <fe © = (IT 
® 



DEFENCE 



DEFENCE FOR ' BIG SHIFT LEFT.* 

two and a half yards outside of full back; 
the instant the ball is snapped both these 
men charge across hard, directly at the 
opposing players; the right half back is 

136 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

moved well over back of centre; the left 
half back moves well over to the left ; and 
the quarter back over to the left. 

"This big shift," continued Coach 
Owens, "brings such a mass of interfer- 
ence against you, that you must go at it 
quickly, and pile it up; because if it once 
gets under way with a big momentum, it 
is very hard to stop. The object of the 
full back, left end, and left tackle is to 
charge forward solid, not to pass the oppo- 
nents, but into them, blocking and mixing 
up everything possible." 

For a full half hour Coach Owens 
drilled the two teams in these formations. 
Coach Wilding of the Scrub took that 
eleven aside and arranged signals for the 
different shifts ; then they lined up against 
the Varsity, and at a given signal would 
spring into a certain shift formation. 
Someone on the Varsity would then in- 

137 



THE STORY OF A 

stantly yell " big shift right," " left forma- 
tion/' "end-over left," "end-over right," 
or whatever the shift might be; and in- 
stantly the Varsity side would spring into 
proper formation for defence. And then 
the coach quizzed every man as to his 
duties, and all possibilities of attack were 
discussed. 

This work interested the men greatly. 
Kid Cross and two or three other cripples 
followed the practice, limping along with 
the help of crutches and canes. 

That night the blackboard discussion of 
the same thing was gone over, and the next 
afternoon the Scrub was coached by Wild- 
ing to work various plays and forward 
passes from the various shift formations, 
so that the Varsity on Wednesday would 
be enabled to go into scrimmage practice 
against these formations. The practice 
was secret throughout this week, and on 

138 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

Wednesday the Varsity side, with Rudge 
in the place of Cross, and with two or 
three other substitutes,- went through a 
lively half hour's scrimmage with the 
Scrub. For fifteen minutes the Scrub 
gained ground against the Varsity with 
the shift attack. Their strongest plays 
seemed to be the cross buck from "end- 
over" formations, and a forward pass to 
the strong side from the "big shifted" 
formations. 

On Thursday there was twenty minutes' 
signal practice, and a half hour's work at 
the rudiments, such as falling on the ball, 
going down under kicks, individual inter- 
ference, tackling the dummy, etc. Then 
the practice wound up with a fast fifteen 
minute scrimmage. 

On Friday afternoon the big Western 
aggregation of footballers from Prairie 
University arrived in a neighboring city, 

139 



THE STORY OF A 

and practiced on local grounds. Coach 
Owens took the Kent squad out for a 
cross-country waljk, and two miles away 
from college on a level field spent a half 
hour in practicing signals and the shifted 
defences. The men all came back feeling 
in great shape and good spirits. The 
Prairie University footballers were the 
conquerers of the West, and had come on, 
followed by a big aggregation of rooters, 
to show the effete East what the mighty 
West could do in football. Their faithful 
band of rooters had great wads of money 
to place on them. It was quickly snapped 
up, for Shorty Richards, an ex-quarter 
back of Kent, who lived in Prairie, had 
tipped his friends off that Kent would 
win. These friends had told others, and 
the result was that the Westerners found 
the Eastern backers full of money and 
confidence. Prairie University had been 

140 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

running up big scores on her opponents, 
and used a whirlwind style of play that 
was confidently expected to sweep the 
Kent eleven off its feet like a Kansas 
cyclone. 



141 



CHAPTER XII. 

The next afternoon, when Kent's mas- 
cot bulldog, clad in a blue blanket, was 
led up and down the side lines on Cooper 
Field, the grand-stands were a brilliant 
mass of color and life, for a great crowd 
had thronged to see the much heralded bat- 
tle of the East and the West. It was an 
ideal day for football; the sky was over- 
cast, and a gentle breeze blew across the 
field, but it was not too cold, and there was 
little need for blankets and foot-warmers. 
The long benches on the side lines were 
crowded with experts, on hand to size up 
the Western cyclone. Reports of the vari- 
ous shifted formation attacks had been 
circulated abroad, and although the teams 
in the East used them to a certain extent, 
Prairie had built up almost her entire sys- 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

tern of attack on these formations, and 
the eleven had worked the shifts with a 
precision and quickness which had non- 
plussed all opponents. 

At 2 o'clock sharp, the Kent squad 
scampered out on the field. The great 
wave of sound, which greeted their ap- 
pearance, had hardly subsided, before the 
Prairie warriors appeared ; they were a big 
husky bunch, and looked older than their 
Eastern opponents. 

The toss was made, and Kent got the 
kick-off. Gibson drove the sphere down 
to goal; it was caught and rushed back, 
and on the twenty yard line there was a 
crash and a pile up, and the game was on. 
Prairie instantly punted, and Kid Cross 
caught on his fifty yard line. His first 
play was a fake kick, which had been de- 
vised especially for the Prairie defence for 
kicks, and which worked perfectly for 

143 



THE STORY OF A 

twenty yards. There was no forward pass 
in it, but simply an old-fashioned run. 
Then by a most startling variety of daring 
plays, in which everything seemed to work 
successfully, almost before the spectators 
were well settled in their seats, Kent had 
the ball down close to Prairie's goal. It 
was first down, when Cross fell back for 
a drop kick. Prairie evidently expected a 
run, so the Kid was not hurried. Deliber- 
ately taking his time, he dropped the ball 
to the ground, met it with his toe the instant 
it raised, and the sphere sailed prettily 
over the cross bars. The astonished root- 
ers burst into a whirlwind of joyous yells. 
It was first blood for Kent, and the whole 
thing had been planned before the game 
by the coaches. It was a daring policy all 
through, but the scouts who had watched 
Prairie play throughout the season had 
reported that the Westerners had been so 

144 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

used to winning and having things their 
own way, that a set-back at the start might 
take their nerve. From his fifty yard line 
down the field, the Kid had used every 
trick that he knew, and the crowning 
achievement of trying the drop kick on the 
first down was against all of the usual 
principles of attack. 

The effect of this early score soon began 
to make itself evident in the play of the 
two teams. Everything that Prairie tried 
seemed to go wrong. The rapid fire attack 
of Kent had surprised the Westerners. The 
Kent line on defence played like fiends, 
and the backs darted in to back up with 
beautiful precision. Gibson seemed always 
on hand to nail the attempted forward 
passes; and the work of the fast Kent 
ends, sometimes darting in like a flash, and 
at other times laying out, nonplussed the 
Prairie back field. But for over-eager- 

10 145 



THE STORY OF A 

ness, Kent would have scored again in the 
first half, but her line men were penalized 
three times for off-side play. Gibson was 
punting beautifully and placing his kicks 
well, and it seemed but a question of time 
when one of Kent's ends would secure one 
of these well placed punts. When the 
whistle blew at the end of the first half, the 
final result seemed a foregone conclusion, 
for the Easterners had all the best of the 
play. The big shifts of Prairie eleven had 
never been allowed to get well started, and 
every move of the attack was met promptly 
with a corresponding move by the defence. 
Everyone expected to see Prairie come out 
with something new in the second half, for 
her most trusted formations had been bat- 
tered to pieces. The Westerners, however, 
seemed to have nothing new to offer in the 
second half, and it was not very much 
trouble for Kent to score twice again. 

146 



FOOTBALL SEASON . 

Once the Westerners were forced to punt 
from behind their goal line. Cross made 
a fair catch well to the side, and on about 
the forty yard mark. Amidst the silence 
of the thousands, the Kid lay on the 
ground, and held the ball for Gibson, who 
quietly sighted it, and adjusted it until it 
was aimed true for goal. He walked back 
a little way, and then, taking three quick 
steps forward, drove his toe into the ball, 
which rose like a shot and sailed long and 
true, splitting the cross bar. The kick 
would have scored from ten yards further 
back. This made the score 8 to in favor 
of Kent; and with ten minutes to play, 
and with Prairie visibly weakening under 
the tireless onslaught, Kid Cross drove his 
team, from the middle of the field, down 
over goal, in a masterly series of plays. 

The runs in the early morning air had 
kept the Kent players in magnificent 

147 



THE STORY OF A 

shape, and they seemed to finish the game 
stronger than they started. Kent, by the 
fierceness of her play, her systematic at- 
tack, and splendid spirit, had completely 
crushed the Western team. The players 
were a jubilant bunch, when they went 
back to the training house to take their 
shower baths; there were no injuries 
among the men, but it was evident they 
had been through a hard gridiron battle. 
Shorty Richards came into the quarters, 
and jumping up on a rubbing down table, 
yelled for silence. 

" Say, fellows," he cried, " I want to 
thank you from my heart for beating this 
Western crowd to-day. You put it all 
over them, and there 's nothing to it. You 
will be the greatest bunch of football play- 
ers in the country, if you only beat Sussex. 
I live out West, and I have had it rubbed 
into me now for three years how much bet- 

148 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

ter they were than the East. Well, you 
showed them." 

A little later he went up to Nick O'Con- 
nor and said: "Hello, Nick, Kid Cross 
came out of the game all right, did n't he? " 

" Yes, he 's all right," grunted Nick. 

"Well, according to the papers before 
the game," said Richards, " it looked to me 
as if the Kid's leg had been twisted clean 
off." 

' You know, Shorty, what the newspa- 
pers are, and you know, also, that many a 
player reported to be on the verge of his 
grave comes out and plays the huskiest 
kind of a game. You 're going to be with 
us this week, aren't you?" 

" Sure," was the reply. " You don't sup- 
pose I am going to leave now. There will 
be a lot of us here the next two weeks. 
There 's Johnny Roe ; he 's coming all the 
way from the gold fields of Nevada. He 's 

149 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

been making a lot of money out there. I 
got a letter from him this morning, in 
which he says, ' The gold mine can go to 
the devil. I'm coming on to the Sussex 
game.' " 

"Well, that's the spirit," said Nick. 

"I'm so excited over that Sussex 
game," continued Richards, "that every 
time I hear it mentioned, it sets my heart 
a beating fit to burst." 

"Well, that's all right," grunted the 
little trainer; "but keep it to yourself. 
Don't show it to any of these lads in here ; 
it might keep 'em awake at nights." 



150 



CHAPTER XIII. 

It is now but two weeks before the great 
final battle of the season. Sussex had won 
every game she had played, and so had 
Kent, and when the two teams should 
meet, it was for the championship. In 
the rival camps expectancy was at fever 
heat ; both teams went into secret practice 
behind closed gates. This was a great dis- 
appointment to the loyal Kent rooters, 
who had every day sat on the bleachers 
and watched the practice of their favorites 
with the intensest interest. Recognizing 
this fact, Coach Owens had the gates 
opened for the students on certain days, 
when nothing special was to be done. A 
horde of coaches was on hand, but no late 
comer was allowed to coach until he had 
attended the councils, and had been as- 

151 



THE STORY OF A 

signed his duties. Hefflefoot, who was 
one of the greatest experts in the country 
in making holes in the line, was given 
fifteen minutes on the line men every day. 
Hankie, famous ex-end, spent part of the 
time each afternoon teaching the ends how 
to get by the opponents sent to prevent 
them from going down the fields under 
kicks. 

On Monday night after dinner the 
whole squad was summoned together in 
the training house for a football lecture. 
There were twelve coaches, beside the reg- 
ular squad, present on this occasion; for 
the head coach had quietly announced his 
intention of showing the men the new play 
which he had saved up all the season for 
Sussex. 

"Well, fellows," said Coach Owens, as 
he came out on the platform before the 
blackboard, "we're on the home stretch. 

152 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

We Ve got to beat Sussex, and when you 
do, you will all be heroes around here; 
your names will go down to tradition in 
Kent College. We will have some pretty 
stiff work on the field this week, but next 
week the practice will be very light. To- 
night I am going to show you a new 
play." 

The coach then drew diagram 17 on the 
blackboard. 

" I have always had in my mind, that if 
you could delay getting off your kick 
until you had three or four men down the 
field, you would then be not only sure of 
making a good gain, but that the chances 
would be in favor of your recovering the 
ball ; because, as you know, under the new 
rules a kick from behind scrimmage is 
anybody's ball, after it hits the ground. I 
have had Randolph, our left end, at prac- 
tice taking the ball on full run, and then 

153 



THE STORY OF A 

stopping and suddenly kicking a long 
low kick. He has improved very much in 
his kicking, and is now good for anywhere 

DIAGRAM 17. 




SKIDDOO ON-SIDE KICK. 



from thirty-five to forty yards with a low 
kick, which should roll after it hits the 
ground. This play exactly resembles the 
first ' skiddoo ' play, except that when our 



154 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

left end receives the ball from the quarter 
back on a pass, instead of passing forward 
he takes as much time as he can, and then 
sends a long low kick down the field. In 
this way, the three backs, the right end, 
and the left tackle should all be well down 
under the kick, by the time it is sent off. 
The opposing left half back must come in 
to stop what looks like a run off tackle, so 
he is out of the way. The instant the ball 
hits the ground, which it will very soon do, 
if it is kicked low, our men down the field 
have a right to block off any opponent. 
As we hope to have more men down the 
field than they will have, it looks as if the 
chances would be in our favor. Of course, 
there are other ways of delaying the punt, 
but we will adopt this particular one." 

On Tuesday the Varsity tried this play 
on the Scrub, and although the latter knew 
what was coming, it worked several times 

155 



THE STORY OF A 

successfully. The men were all enthusi- 
astic about it. 

After practice that afternoon, Manager 
Haskins came up to Coach Owens, and 
taking him aside, said : 

" Buck, there is an ugly rumor come out 
lately, that Sussex is planning to do Kid 
Cross up, and put him out of the game. 
The whole college is up in arms about it. 
The story came from some friends of ours 
over in Sussex. Do you think it will worry 
the Kid any?" 

" Bah ! " laughed Coach Owens ; " it will 
have about as much effect on him as water 
on a duck's back. I don't believe it is true 
at all. It has been circulated, I guess, to 
rattle us, but we '11 make a boomerang out 
of it." 

"Well, from what I can hear," said 
Haskins, "there is more truth in the rumor 
than you seem to think." 

156 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

That night in the training house the 
Cross brothers, Lawson, and Fred Deer- 
ing. were sitting in the room of the last 
named, talking football. 

" They tell me they are going to do you 
up, Kid," said Lawson, winking at the 
others. 

"They are, are they?" said the Kid. 
'"Well, it's news to me, anyhow. They 
are welcome to try." 

After young Cross had gone out, his 
older brother said : 

"There might be something in this, 
boys ; one of us will have to keep near the 
Kid in that game. His knee is not any too 
strong, and I guess Sussex knows it." 



157 



CHAPTER XIV. 

It was the last practice on Cooper 
Field, and in the cold dusk a bonfire was 
burning brightly under the south goal. 
Around the blaze stood the football squad 
in an inner circle. They were solemnly 
taking off their old shin guards and other 
articles of worn-out football armor, and 
casting them into the fire. Surrounding 
them stood many hundreds of students, 
watching this annual ceremony, that 
always marked the last day of practice be- 
fore the Sussex game. When the blaze 
was at its highest, Coach Owens made a 
little speech, thanking the Scrub for its 
faithful work in giving the Varsity prac- 
tice throughout the hard season. Then the 
pent-up enthusiasm that thrills the breast 
of an under-gradu&te when the day of the 

158 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

great game is near burst forth on Cooper 
Field, and wild cheers were given for 
every member of the team and the coaches, 
winding up with a long hurrah for the 
Scrub. 

On the afternoon of the next day, which 
was Thursday, the whole Kent football 
army was comfortably quartered at Went- 
worth Inn, two miles outside of the old 
college town of Sussex, almost within 
sight of the camp of the enemy which they 
had come to conquer. Every man was in 
good shape, trained up to the minute, and 
confidence ran high. 

On Friday afternoon the team went 
through all of its signals on the spacious 
lawns of the inn. Nick O'Connor, fear- 
ing spies, had put out a cordon of senti- 
nels a mile in circumference. " Gracious ! " 
said Kid Cross to his big brother, when 
they were dressing after the practice, " but 

159 



THE STORY OF A 

these two weeks have certainly flown by. 
It hardly seems any time since we played 
Prairie." 

" Yes," was the reply, " and by this time 
to-morrow afternoon, we will either be 
feeling like heroes or disgusted with life." 

The Kid had a far-away look in his eyes, 
as he said, " I never before realized what 
it means to win a great football game. I 
had a letter from sister to-day, saying that 
she and the governor will be on hand to- 
morrow. She will be broken-hearted if we 
don't win." 

"Yes, and don't forget the governor 
either," said big Cross. "He would be 
broken-hearted, too. He is awfully proud 
of you, Kid. You've got to live up to 
your reputation to-morrow." 

It was some time that night before the 
little quarter back settled into the health- 
ful sleep of the athlete in perfect condi- 

160 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

tion. The swift events of the last two 
weeks were a hazy memory, and the bon- 
fire under the south goal a weird dream; 
but in his mind the coming battle was in- 
tensely vivid, and already he could hear 
the hoarse shouts of the multitude and feel 
the thrill of conflict. Aroused and excited, 
he raised on his arm and gazed out in the 
darkness, at the reflected lights of the dis- 
tant town. Then he heard sounds under 
his window, and a voice strangely like 
Johnny Roe's called: 

" Come on, Shorty. The team 's safe in 
bed. Let's go in town and see what's 
doing. I am going to bet a few yellow 
Tonopah semoleons on this bunch, because 
they are winners. See? " 

Then, comforted, the Kid went off into 
a dreamland full of goals, touchdowns, 
muffs, and tackles. 

11 161 



CHAPTER XV. 

The Kent players were in the dressing 
rooms assigned to them in the quarters 
back of the great east stand. Everything 
was bustle and preparation; Nick O'Con- 
nor busily bandaging weak joints, and the 
coaches going from man to man giving 
them last words of advice and warning. 

Some of the men who wore less football 
armor than the others were already dressed 
and lying on their backs resting. A man 
over in a corner was laughing nervously 
and biting his nails ; another was swearing 
under his breath at a shoe-string that per- 
sisted in breaking. Big Lawson was 
storming around like a bull in his pen, and 
Kid Cross sat with his elbows on his knees 
and his head resting in his hands. There 
was fierce and subdued tensity in the at- 

162 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

mosphere of these dressing rooms in the 
last few minutes before the fateful hour 
towards which all of their faithful work, 
nervous energy, and mental strain had 
aimed. 

Outside, on Sussex Field, the good- 
natured multitude, gathered from far and 
near, was pouring through the various 
entrances, and down the broad prome- 
nades, and up into and gradually filling 
the giant stands. The ground was already 
muddy under foot, as from the tramping 
of armies. 

Out on the side lines, sitting on the low 
benches inside the fence, or standing 
around with chins deep in overcoat collars, 
were scores of old players, gods of other 
days. They were exchanging expert com- 
ment, and discussing the wind and the 
condition of the ground, and sometimes 
calling a "Hello, old man," greeting to a 

163 



THE STORY OF A 

friend in the stand. The long line of 
brass-lunged cheer leaders was out there, 
too, getting their big megaphones in order. 
Innumerable automobile horns, the shrill 
"Buy your winning colors" cry of the 
hawkers, and the blare of the rival bands, 
accompanied by tooting horns, made a din 
that arose from without and within. The 
American out-door girl, at her very best, 
was there, open-eyed and animated with 
excitement ; the college sport ; the old grad 
who never misses a game; the rooter who 
knows it all; the anxious-faced chaperone 
hunting her lost; the man who is always 
yelling " Down in front," and nudging his 
neighbors ; the school-boy who dearly hopes 
some day to be a hero, too. They were all 
there, and many more besides. 

The officials walked out on the field and 
conferred, and the cheer leaders began to 
get busy. The many men on the side lines 

164 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

settled down in their seats and every one 
in the vast multitude waited for the ap- 
pearance of the rival teams at the little 
gates at either end of the field. 

In the training quarters Coach Owens 
stood, with his hand on Kid Cross's 
shoulder; the players were gathered in a 
group to listen to the last words of their 
coach. 

'Well, boys," began Coach Owens, in 
a voice almost broken with emotion, " this 
is the end of all of our efforts. We've 
worked hard together this season, and 
we've been successful. Now comes the 
crowning chance of your lives. This team 
that you play to-day has had the same suc- 
cess that you have had, and we know that 
they are the hardest proposition that you 
have yet met. Down in my heart I know 
that you can beat them, if you play as you 
know how to play. In these big football 

165 



THE STORY OF A 

battles the players sometimes seem filled 
with superhuman force and activity, and 
play beyond themselves. You must do 
this to-day. You must play even better 
than you know how to play. Never quit 
for one second, but play yourselves to a 
standstill ; remember that if one of you is 
hurt, or done up, there is another just 
as good, and anxious to take your place. 
You all love Kent, boys. Well, play for 
the dear old place to-day; play for the 
rooters, the boys who have stood nobly by 
you all through the season, and who think 
you are the greatest heroes on earth ; play 
for your families, your sisters, and your 
sweethearts, if you have any; and if you 
can't play for any of these, well, play for 
me, boys." Here the coach's voice broke. 
"Play for me, because I am with you heart 
and soul." 

" We'll do it; we'll beat 'em; come on, 

166 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

let's get at 'em/' came from various deter- 
mined voices in response to the last appeal 
of the coach, and the light of enthusiasm 
that makes men fight their best came into 
the eyes of the men in these last tense 
moments. 

" Everybody out," suddenly called Nick 
O'Connor. 

This was a joyful sound to the men, for 
waiting is agony at such a time, and the 
clatter of the cleated shoes on the wooden 
floor was the only sound as they tramped 
silently out to their entrance gate. 

" Here they come," cried a voice; "here 
they come," echoed on down the stand. 
Those on the way to their seats turned to 
look. The vociferous welcome grew into 
a roar of organized cheers. Then the Kent 
squad, led by their tall captain, scampered 
out on the field tossing the ball about and 
falling on it with unnecessary viciousness. 

167 



THE STORY OF A 

The Kid's sensations as he trotted out 
with his comrades, for this was his first 
really great game, were dimmed by their 
very intensity. In a dazed way he saw 
the great multitude rise to greet the play- 
ers, and the bright color spots in the 
dull moving bank fluttered in his eyes 
strangely. The roar, which increased in 
volume, as twenty thousand throats took it 
up, was only a confused sense of some- 
thing overwhelming in the Kid's ears. At 
that instant a football rolled in front of 
him, and he made a fierce dive for it, as if 
it was a long lost friend coming to comfort 
him. The familiar feel of the pig-skin in- 
stantly removed the clutch from the little 
fellow's heart, and he was the same old 
Kid again, — perfect master of himself, 
cool as ice; and from then on he dimly 
knew that the multitude was there, but its 
presence and its noise meant nothing to 

168 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

him except that his father and his little 
sister were in Section L. 

Then the other team loomed giant-like 
at the other end of the field, and tumult 
began in the West Stand. The rival mul- 
titudes were trying to smother each other's 
cheers, and the cheer leaders down on the 
field below them were writhing and sway- 
ing in fanatical efforts to extract the 
greatest volume of sound from the throats 
at their command. These cheer leaders 
are not good enough to play for their 
alma mater, but they can cheer for her. 
Their zeal is beautiful to see, and they 
look easily capable of dying martyrs to the 
cause of organized noise. Then, in a 
momentary spirit of sporting etiquette, 
each rival clan gives a cheer for the other, 
and for a frail space of time they feel a 
glow of friendship. 

It was a dull gray day, with a bite in the 

169 



THE STORY OF A 

air which had brought forth many a rug 
and whiskey flask. There was very little 
wind stirring, and the field was fast. Cap- 
tain Gibson tossed a blade of grass up to 
find which way the wind was blowing. The 
umpire called aside each team and gave 
them warning lectures. Then the referee 
and the rival captains gathered for the toss 
of the coin. 

Captain Dudley, of Sussex, was a 
brilliant little quarter back who had been 
chosen for the All- American team of the 
year before. He won the choice and chose 
the north goal. As he walked by the Kid 
he gave him a sneering look of triumph, 
and said in a low voice : 

"You'll get what's coming to you 
to-day." 

The Kid smiled blandly in answer, and 
the two little field generals walked on to 
their positions. 

170 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

Sussex had a slight wind in her favor, 
but Captain Gibson elected to kick off. 
He had learned to send the ball so high 
that his men could get down under it 
easily. He teed the ball on a little mound 
of dirt, and, with a parting admonition 
to his players to keep on-side, he quickly 
stepped up and swung his long leg. The 
ball rose to a surprising height, hung in 
the air for a second, and then dropped in 
the arms of one of the Sussex players on 
his ten yard line. That player was off 
like a shot, and the interference formed 
automatically. Before he had gone ten 
yards, however, Randolph darted through 
and staggered him with a flying tackle. 
An instant later Lawson and Deering 
landed on him together, and the first 
scrimmage of the historic battle was on. 

It was first down for Sussex on her 
twenty yard line. Quick as a flash her 

171 



THE STORY OF A 

team lined up; the ball was snapped to 
Thornton, the left half back, and with a 
wide swing of his leg he drove a low sail- 
ing punt down the field, well off to the 
left. The play was so quickly executed 
that it caught Kid Cross off his guard. He 
sprang in the air for the ball, but missed 
it, and it went rolling on down the field. 
To the Kent rooters it seemed as if it 
would never stop. The Kid, closely pur- 
sued by the Sussex ends, finally fell on the 
ball on his thirty yard line. On the very 
next play Kent was penalized fifteen 
yards for off-side play by the over-anxious 
Tomlinson, and the referee put Kent back 
on her fifteen yard line. There was noth- 
ing left to do but to punt out of danger, 
and Gibson drove the ball back to the cen- 
tre of the field, where Dudley caught it 
and rushed in to the forty-five yard line. 
The next few minutes were sad ones for 

172 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

old Kent's rooters. Captain Dudley and 
his giants took the ball down the field in 
desperate line smashing, varied once with 
a clever forward pass to the left end. 
There seemed to be no stopping them. 
When they got to the twenty-five yard 
line, Kent's back field closed in, and the 
whole defence concentrated. The effect 
of this soon began to show, and on the 
eighteen yard line, well off to the side, it 
was third down, with three to gain. Here 
it was that Sussex showed her lack of 
nerve. Instead of taking a chance of 
gaining the three yards, Dudley decided to 
try for a drop kick. Si Lawson broke 
through like a fiend, blocked the kick, and 
Phillips fell on the ball on Kent's forty 
yard line. 

A great sigh of relief went up from the 
East Stand, and Jim Mowbray, who 
according to his custom at such times was 

173 



THE STORY OF A 

stalking up and down the side lines curs- 
ing softly to himself, suddenly broke into 
a smile, walked up to Buck Owens, and 
slapped him on the back and remarked, 
"We've got 'em now, old boy." 

Everything had gone in favor of Sus- 
sex, and now the complexion of affairs 
was changed. It was here that the Kid 
took a hand in the afternoon's happen- 
ings, and his big voice rang like a call to 
arms as he signalled for Gibson to go in 
on a straight buck. The next play was a 
."skiddoo" to the left. It worked like a 
charm, and the ball was beyond the centre 
of the field. Phillips, the right end, had 
made a daisy pass directly into the arms 
of Butler, the full back, who was down the 
field with the "bunch." A quick right 
tackle shift, followed by a dash inside of 
right end, failed to gain; and an at- 
tempted " single " forward pass to the left 

174 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

end hit the ground. When Randolph had 
attempted to sneak out to get the throw 
he was nabbed by the Sussex right end, 
who was evidently alert for just such 
plays. 

The referee put the Kent team back 
fifteen yards to the centre of the field, and 
Gibson's long kick fell into the opposing 
quarter back's arms on the Sussex ten 
yard line. Thornton, the great Sussex 
kicker, immediately punted the ball out of 
danger, and the Kid stood steady under 
the twister on his fifty yard line. It was 
a beautiful kick, and it was beautifully 
caught. Right here came one of those 
plays which for years past have won our 
great college football battles, and which 
make football stars whose names are 
handed down in college history. 

As the ball settled into the Kid's arms 
he was off like a flash. Gibson blocked 

175 



THE STORY OF A 

one of the on-coming Sussex ends, and 
the Kid dodged the other. Five yards 
further on with ever-increasing speed he 
swerved by the Sussex left tackle. Next, 
he shot by a guard whom Butler was 
partly blocking. Two more white marks 
went under the Kid's swiftly moving feet, 
and then he swerved wide to the right, 
avoiding a striving mass of Sussex play- 
ers, among whom Lawson, Deering, and 
Tomlinson had jumped like a bunch of 
wildcats in their efforts to aid the Kid by 
blocking them off. Phillips and Randolph 
now headed the interference, and the whole 
team turned in to help. Once the Kid was 
brought down by a flying tackle from be- 
hind, but he was up and off again. The 
delay, however, proved fatal, and the great 
dash ended on Sussex's twenty yard line, 
where Dudley made the tackle. 

It was a magnificent run, and it brought 

176 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

the multitude on the East Stand to its 
feet, crazy with delight. It seemed to take 
the heart out of Sussex, for on the next 
play Butler, the Kent full back, went 
crashing through a hole in the line made 
by Lawson. 

A cross buck by the same player made 
the first down on the ten yard line; a 
couple more heavy smashes took it to the 
three yard line. Here a Sussex man was 
hurt, or feigned to be hurt, so as to give 
his team time to gather themselves to- 
gether. Instantly Gibson called his men 
back together, and in the centre of the 
little circle he and Kid Cross stood. 

" Now, men," panted the captain, " for 
heaven's sake don't use your hands, or 
make any foul here ; we must take the ball 
over; we 've got 'em where we want 'em." 

"What signal are you going to give, 
Kid?" he continued. 

12 177 



THE STORY OF A 

" It will be a left tackle shift ; and Hard- 
ing on a cross buck, between Lawson and 
Cross." 

"That's the play," said Captain Gib- 
son, gritting his teeth. " Listen, men; we 
all know this play. Don't forget to walk 
up to the line in a shifted position, and the 
instant the referee blows his whistle the 
ball will be snapped without any signal." 

" Two minutes up," cried the referee. 

The Sussex man, who was hurt, rose 
slowly to his feet, and fell into line with 
the rest of his team. The Kent eleven 
walked deliberately up to the line of scrim- 
mage ; and when they arrived there, Tom- 
linson, the right tackle, was shifted over 
beside Deering, the left tackle. At that 
instant the referee was asking each captain 
in turn if he was ready, and a second later 
he blew his whistle. The toot of the whistle 
was the signal for the ball to be snapped. 

178 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

The Sussex team had just time to note the 
shift of their opponents, and it caused an 
instant's hesitation in the concentration of 
their defence. In that fatal instant, how- 
ever, the ball was snapped, and a powerful 
triple tandem bored into the hole started 
by Lawson's mighty shoulders, as he 
charged low and heaved into his powerful 
opponent. The mass wavered for an in- 
stant, and then went crashing on over, and 
never stopped until it was five yards be- 
yond the goal line. When the toppling 
mass wavered on the goal line a pin could 
have been heard to drop in the great stands. 
When the mass fell forward, instantly 
there broke forth a volcanic delirium of 
joy; the long line of substitutes, coaches, 
and old-time players along the side lines in 
front of the East Stand burst forth like so 
many Indians into a wild war-dance, hug- 
ging each other, and throwing their hats, 

179 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

blankets, and everything they could get 
hold of into the air. Little Johnnie Roe 
went up and down the side lines turning 
hand-springs. It was a debauch of foot- 
ball emotion; what had been organized 
cheering and singing blended into one of 
demoniacal frenzy of sound. 

The great stand across the way drooped 
in sullen silence, until aroused by the un- 
daunted cheer leaders. When Kid Cross 
sent the ball unerringly across the bar for 
the other point, and the figure 6 was put 
up beside the word Kent on the giant 
score-board, the Sussex faction had recov- 
ered, and was yelling defiance back across 
the field into the teeth of the triumphant 
Kent rooters. From this on to the end of 
this half the battle waged fiercely and 
evenly, and when the whistle blew for time, 
hope ran as high as ever in the hearts of 
the Sussex rooters. 

180 



CHAPTER XVI. 

In the Kent dressing room the players 
were being rubbed and sponged by the 
active trainer and his assistants. The lust 
of battle was still in their eyes, and they 
rested in sullen silence on the cots pro- 
vided for them. No one had suffered any 
disabling hurt, but minor cuts and bruises 
gave to some of them a fierce and bloody 
aspect. 

During the first eight minutes of the 
intermission Owens went from man to 
man giving advice and instruction. His 
assistants were doing likewise. With two 
minutes left of the ten minute intermis- 
sion, Owens made every one get up and 
listen to what he had to say. 

" Boys, we Ve got 'em now, but you will 
have to fight harder than ever before or 

181 



THE STORY OF A 

you will lose your advantage before you 
know it. Go out there in this half and 
fight as you never imagined you could 
fight. If there is any let-up in your play, 
you will find that Sussex will get stronger 
every minute ; but if you bang it into them 
right from the start, you will find that 
they will weaken instead of you. If you 
let that bunch beat you now, it will be the 
saddest thing ever happened to you. 
That's all." 

Then the team warriors filed out to re- 
new the fight. The coach walked with his 
arm around Kid Cross's shoulder. " Don't 
forget that new play," were his last words, 
as the team ran on the field. 

From the instant that Sussex kicked 
off, everything seemed to be in favor of 
Kent. For the first fifteen minutes of 
play the ball was almost continuously in 
her possession; and most of the time the 

182 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

fight was in Sussex territory, but never 
quite within striking distance of the goal. 
Suddenly there came one of those whirl- 
wind changes that sometimes happen in 
football, and instantly the whole com- 
plexion of affairs was changed. There 
was a bad fumble, and Jones, the Sussex 
end, who had been following the ball like a 
sleuth all the game, was on it like a flash. 
The teams lined up ; the ball was snapped ; 
and the Sussex back field started for 
Kent's left end with Captain Dudley car- 
rying the ball. Randolph made a dive for 
him, and Dudley passed the ball straight 
on over his head to his right half back. It 
looked as if it was going to be a regular 
Kent "skiddoo" pass, and the Kent sec- 
ondary defence went over to intercept it. 
Instead, however, of making the forward 
pass straight down the field, the Sussex 
right half back, after he had gotten out 

183 



THE STORY OF A 

about eight yards, turned and threw it 
diagonally across about thirty yards over 
to his left tackle, who had sneaked out and 
gone down the field. As the Sussex left 
end had stood back of the line, the tackle 
then being on the end had a right to re- 
ceive the forward pass. The ball was 
accurately thrown and caught on the run, 
and there was no one between the runner 
and a touch-down but Kid Cross. The 
Kid had been drawn over by the trick ; and 
as the runner kept well over toward the 
side line, he was forced to make a difficult 
side tackle. Playing it safe, he kept after 
his man, until he forced him out of bounds 
on the ten yard line. Sussex was not to be 
denied, and in three concentrated rushes 
jammed the ball over. The goal was 
kicked, and the score was tied. 

The ball was kicked off, and the battle 
fiercely renewed. Sussex seemed to get 

184 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

stronger every minute. Try as they would 
the Kent men could not do any more than 
hold their own around the centre of the 
field, and the precious time was flying. 
Every scrimmage was played with desper- 
ation. The lines charged into each other 
in a struggle to the finish. No sounds 
came out but the ringing commands of 
the signal giver or a sharp word of en- 
couragement. There would be a grinding 
crash, a last powerful shove, then the mass 
would finally sink down, and maybe a 
muttered oath or a very realistic " Ouch" 
would be squeezed from the bottom of the 
pile. It was a fight to the finish, and subs 
were beginning to be called upon to re- 
place injured or exhausted players. Ran- 
dolph, who had been playing like a demon, 
was taken out by the watchful Buck 
Owens, and Gilbert, the promising fresh- 
man, substituted. 

185 



THE STORY OF A 

" Why, look who 's here," jeered a giant 
Sussex guard, as the freshman came dash- 
ing out to take his position. " We won't 
do a thing to you, young man. What did 
you come out here for anyhow ; you think 
this is an afternoon tea party? You'd 
better go back to your mother, my son." 

Sometimes a quick forward pass or a 
wide run would be attempted, but both 
sides were desperately vigilant ; then there 
would be a punt, but the back field man 
make no mistakes in muffing or getting 
under the ball. There were only about six 
minutes left to play, and it looked like one 
of those tie games so exceedingly unsatis- 
factory to both sides. 

Suddenly Lawson broke through and 
partially blocked the kick, and Gibson, of 
Kent, and Thornton, of Sussex, went for 
it in the same instant. As they lay on the 
ground, both hugging the ball, the referee 

186 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

came up and touched Gibson on the back. 
The team was lined up, and, when Cap- 
tain Dudley ran back to his position on 
defence, showing that Kent had been 
awarded the ball, the whole East Stand 
was on its feet yelling triumphantly. 

"Now's the time, Kid; here's your 
chance; we want a score," came from many 
voices. The cheer leaders called for a bat- 
tle slogan, but Jim Mowbray rushed up 
and silenced them. Buck Owens stood on 
the side lines, his face a picture of absorbed 
anxiety, willing the Kid to give the right 
play. There was no hope of Kent win- 
ning unless in the next two minutes she 
could get the ball in her possession within 
striking distance of the Sussex goal; and 
with the instinct of a true general, the Kid 
knew there was only one way to do this, 
and he signalled for the new play. 

The ball was snapped, the interference 

187 



THE STORY OF A 

went off to the right, the Kid passed the 
ball over the opposing end's head into Gil- 
bert's hands, and the latter player delib- 
erately taking his time drove a low kick 
straight down the field. The instant the 
ball hit the ground, Phillips dove into 
Dudley, and Deering, Kent's trusty 
tackle, was seen hugging the ball on the 
thirty yard line, with the raging Sussex 
full back sitting on him. Kent at last was 
within striking distance of goal, and there 
were three minutes left to play. 

"Don't hold; keep on-side," cried Kid 
Cross, as he signalled for Harding's 
plunge through centre. Again he drove 
Harding into the line, and it was third 
down on the twenty-six yard line, and a 
minute left to play. The Kid signalled 
for a drop kick, and turned and ran back 
about eight yards. The instant he arrived 
in position, big Cross sent the ball back 

188 



FOOTBALL SEASON 

straight and true. Poising himself mo- 
mentarily, the Kid deliberately stepped 
forward, dropped the ball in front of him, 
and as it hit the ground he met it neatly 
with his cunning toe, and it sailed into the 
air and over the bar. 

Five minutes later, when the dazed Kid 
had ceased his struggle to get away, he 
found himself carried aloft on strong arms 
high above a solid moving mass of frenzied 
rooters, smiling foolishly; and as the vic- 
torious horde swept around the battle- 
scarred gridiron in triumphal march, the 
Kid saw the multitude in the West Stand 
rise silently to its feet with hats off ; and 
then he heard the beautiful notes of a col- 
lege hymn song rise and fall on the vibrant 
air. At the swelling sound a momentary 
hush fell on the cheering stand across the 
way. It was the respect of the victor for 
the vanquished. 

189 



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